Jade facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jade
A piece of jade stone before it has been polished.
Category	Mineral
Identification
Color	Almost any color, but most often green.
Crystal habit	Made of tiny, grainy or fibrous parts packed together.
Crystal system	Monoclinic
Cleavage	None
Fracture	Splintery
Tenacity	Brittle
Mohs scale hardness	6–7
Specific gravity	2.9–3.38
Refractive index	1.600–1.688
Birefringence	0.020–0.027
Pleochroism	Absent
Dispersion	None

Map showing the main countries where jade is found.

Jade is a beautiful gemstone used to make jewelry and decorative art. It is famous for its lovely green color, but it can also be white, black, yellow, or even lavender.

What many people don't know is that "jade" is actually a name for two different types of rock: nephrite and jadeite. Both look very similar and are strong and beautiful. For thousands of years, cultures all over the world, especially in Asia and Latin America, have treasured jade.

Jade is sorted into three main types based on how it has been treated.

• Type A is completely natural and has only been polished with wax. It is the most valuable kind.
• Type B has been treated with chemicals and plastics to make it look clearer and more colorful.
• Type C has been dyed to change its color.

Where the Name Comes From

The English word jade comes from the Spanish term piedra de ijada, which means "stone of the side." Around the 1500s, people believed that wearing the stone could help with kidney problems. The name nephrite also comes from lapis nephriticus, the Latin words for "kidney stone."

Jade's Journey Through History

East Asia

China's Imperial Gem

A cup made of jade in the shape of a rhino horn, from ancient China.

In China, jade is known as the "imperial gem" and has been highly valued for over 8,000 years. It was considered more precious than gold or silver.

During ancient times, jade was used to make tools, decorations, and objects for ceremonies. Emperors and nobles were even buried in special suits made of jade pieces sewn together. They believed it would protect them.

The most prized nephrite jade in China is a creamy white color called "mutton fat" jade. After the year 1800, a bright green jadeite from Burma (now Myanmar) became very popular. It was called "kingfisher jade" because its color looked like the feathers of a kingfisher bird.

The Chinese character for jade, 玉 (yù), is part of many words that mean something beautiful or precious.

Japan and Korea

In ancient Japan, people wore jade bracelets as a symbol of wealth and power. Green jade was especially important in rituals. Today, jade is the national stone of Japan.

In Korea, jade has been used for thousands of years. Small, comma-shaped jade pieces were used to decorate the magnificent gold crowns of kings and queens of the Silla kingdom.

South and Southeast Asia

A dagger from India with a handle made of jade, from the 17th or 18th century.

In India, a famous temple has a 5-foot-tall statue of the figure Mahavira carved completely out of jade. Indian craftsmen also made beautiful jewelry and handles for daggers and swords from a green stone similar to jade.

Today, the country of Myanmar produces more than 70% of the world's supply of high-quality jadeite. This beautiful stone has been treasured in China for over a thousand years.

A long time ago, a huge sea trading network for jade connected Taiwan, the Philippines, and other parts of Southeast Asia. This network was even older than the famous Silk Road.

The Māori and Pounamu

A Māori pendant called a pekapeka, made from New Zealand greenstone.

A Māori fish hook pendant, or hei matau, made from jade.

In New Zealand, the Māori people have a special name for nephrite jade: pounamu. It is also called "greenstone." Pounamu is considered a taonga (treasure) and is very important to Māori culture.

Pounamu is only found on the South Island of New Zealand, which is sometimes called Te Wahi Pounamu, meaning "The Place of Greenstone."

The Māori used pounamu to make tools, weapons, and ornaments. These included clubs called mere and neck pendants called hei-tiki. These treasures are passed down through generations and are believed to hold the spirit and prestige (mana) of their ancestors.

Mesoamerica

A jade chest-piece worn by a Mayan noble. It is 195 mm or 7.7 in high.

In ancient Mesoamerica (modern-day Mexico and Central America), jade was extremely rare and valuable. For cultures like the Olmecs and the Maya, it was often worth more than gold.

The only place they could find jade was in the Motagua River valley in Guatemala. It was used by the elite for carving figures and for important rituals.

Modern Jade Sources

Jade was first found in Canada in 1886 by Chinese settlers looking for gold. Today, Canada is a major source of nephrite jade.

Russia also has large jade deposits in Siberia. Russian artists, like the famous Fabergé, often combined green jade with gold and diamonds to create amazing jewelry.

The Science Behind the Stone

A large piece of jade on display in Jade City, British Columbia, Canada.

In 1863, a French scientist named Alexis Damour discovered that "jade" was actually two different minerals: nephrite and jadeite.

Nephrite and Jadeite

Nephrite and jadeite look similar, but they have different structures.

• Nephrite is a type of mineral made of tiny, interlocking fibers. This fibrous structure makes nephrite very tough and resistant to breaking. It is slightly softer than jadeite.
• Jadeite is made of tightly packed, grainy crystals. It is rarer than nephrite and a little harder.

Both types of jade are strong enough to be carved into very detailed and delicate shapes.

Colors and Rarity

A person inspects a jade rock with a special flashlight in Mandalay, Myanmar.

Nephrite is often found in a creamy white color, famously known as "mutton fat" jade in China. It also comes in a variety of green shades.

Jadeite has a wider range of colors, including blue, red, black, dark green, lavender, and white. The rarest and most valuable variety is a translucent, emerald-green jadeite. This type was treasured by Mesoamerican cultures and Chinese emperors.

How Jade Can Be Treated

Sometimes, jade is treated to improve its appearance. These treatments are often called the "ABC System."

• Type A jade is natural and untreated. It has only been polished with surface wax. This is the most valuable type.
• Type B treatment involves using chemicals to clean the stone and then filling any tiny cracks with a clear polymer resin. This makes the stone look clearer and more colorful.
• Type C jade has been dyed to give it a new color.
• B+C jade has been both filled with resin and dyed.
• Type D jade is a composite stone, like a thin slice of jade glued to a plastic backing.

Gallery

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  Head and torso of a jade horse statue from ancient China.

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  A large piece of "mutton fat" nephrite jade in a museum.

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  A collection of old, hand-made Chinese jade buttons.

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  Jade stones for sale at a market in Khotan, China.

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  Modern jade jewelry.

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  A jade paperweight from China, made in the 18th century.

See also

In Spanish: Jade para niños

• Cheonmachong – A tomb in Korea containing jade artifacts
• Costa Rican jade tradition
• Jade burial suit
• Jade trade in Myanmar
• Mumun pottery period – A time in Korea when making jade ornaments began
• Pounamu – A type of hard stone found in New Zealand, including nephrite
• Serpentine subgroup – A group of minerals sometimes called "false jade"