What is Imperial Jade?

by

Susan Ng

Jade is the name of a beautiful gemstone that consists of nephrite, jadeite or both. For more than 5000 years, this fascinating gemstone has been used in China and throughout Asia. Jade attained its highest value in China where these wonderful gemstones were used to make the finest objects and grave furnishings for the Chinese Imperial family.

The mineral of jade is composed of alumunium, sodium and silicon with interwoven crystals. Jadeite is rarer than nephrite, therefore it has more value. Jadeite is also the toughest gems, even tougher than diamond. You can find jadeite only in weathered rocks that contain nodules of serpentinite, a mineral formed by high pressure (not high temperature). Glacial sediments and stream deposits are areas which may have jadeite deposits.

Many jades are translucent, rarely transparent, and sometimes opaque. They should be heavy, cold and waxy to the feel. Imperial jade refers to jadeite which has a deep intense green color. Imperial jade is the most valuable among all types of jade and it is especially desirable to knowledgeable buyers. The finest quality of imperial jade seems to glow from its inside. A small amount of chromium in jadeite gives the stone its intense green color. The highest prices of imperial jade is the one which shines through at the edges (the stone can be worth tens of thousands of dollars). Unscrupulous gem dealers like to take white jades and dye them to the color of imperial jade and sell the stones for higher price. Upper Myanmar (Burma) is the place where you can find the best source of imperial jade.

Ancient cultures in Asia, New Zealand and Central America used jade to make tools, weapons and figurines. The intensity and distribution of the color, transparency, clarity and texture are qualities that determine the jades value. Pure jade (jadeite and nephrite) are white in color. Metals, chemicals and weathering give the colors. Usually more than one color occur in the same piece of jade. Chromium gives black fleck and gray tintings. Iron gives the colors of green, brown, yellow, red, black or gray, to jade. manganese adds black fleckings and green stainings.

For more informations about

jadeite and nephrite

or other lucky

birthstones

, you can visit http://www.list-of-birthstones.com/

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