Jade – The Greenstone

Jade is a semi precious stone.It gets its name from the Spanish phrase “piedra de ijada” which means loin stone.The reason it is so called is that it is believed that jade can cure kidney and loin related diseases.Infact, the term “nephrite” in relation to kidneys, is derieved from the name of one of the types of jade, that was used to cure kidney ailments.Green is the usual color of Jade.It is, therefore, also known as “Greenstone” in certain countries.The Chinese refer to it as “yu” or the royal stone.Inspite of green being the primary color, jade is also found in creamy white, black, gray, orange, yellow, lavender, mauve-pink and emerald green colors.

There are 2 chemical varieties of Jade.Nephrite is the first variety and jadeite, the second.Both resemble each other when it comes to appearance, hardness, etc.However, they are different when it comes to chemical composition.Nephrite is formed from chemicals of calcium, magnesium and iron whereas, jadeite is formed from chemcials of sodium and aluminium.A brilliant green color usually characterizes nephrite.Jadeite is more expensive as it is rarer than nephrite.Once polished, nephrite courts a resinous surface, whereas jadeite surfaces tend to shine like mirror.

Large amount of jade deposits are found in China, New Zealand, Russia, Canada, Gautemala and the Swiss Alps.Burma is known as the producer of the highest quality of jade stones.Jade traders ought to be careful when buying unprocessed jade as the final quality and color of jade is determined only after the processing and cutting has been done.It is near impossible to predict the end product when buying raw jade.The actual quality and the luster of the final product can be understood only once the polishing and processing work finishes.

Raw jade is processed using carbonundum and diamond powder.Since the hardness of jade varies between 5.0 to 7.0 Mohs hardness, it can be worked with quartz, garnet sand, bamboo or ground jade.It was used in the olden days as a material for making weapons and tools.Soon it made its use felt in the field of art and culture with many sculptures and cult figures being carved in jade.

The Chinese royal family has been particularly partial to the use of Jade in jewelry and other royal finery.The tribal’s of the Americas would regard jade higher than gold.Egypt sees jade as a stone of love.Overall, irrespective of the culture, the ancient world regards jade as a protective stone.Apart from this, in current times, Jade is used as a precious stone for engraving it in different forms of jewellery, thus providing the jewels with the contrasting tints.