Nephrite – A variety of the jade stone

What is Nephrite?

Nephrite is a mineral which is commonly called jade. There are actually two different stones which people call jade, the other being jadeite. Nephrite is the original stone revered by the Chinese for its mystical and almost living properties.

Nephrite is softer than its counterpart. It measures 6 to a 6.5 on the mohs scale of hardness while jadeite measures a 6.5 to a 7.

Though nephrite is a softer mineral it is actually harder to break, which is an amazing property of a stone which can be completely translucent. Nephrite's strength comes from its very tough, interlocking crystal structure.

Types of Nephrite

Nephrite is much more common than jadeite. Due to this there are many unique specimens throughout the world.

In one area, Big Sur, California, there are at least 3 unique types of nephrite jade which appear. These are the infamous bubble jade (which appears like bubble gum as nodes of jade appear through serpentine), vulcan jade (an oxidized, rusted jade which can have the colors of red, orange and yellow) and Pacific Blue (which can be any shade of the ocean from which this jade is retrieved).

British Columbia comes out with some rather unique, very high quality specimens of jade stone. A common name for this jade is Ice Jade, which is a very vivid and striking green color with specks of an almost neon green color throughout it. This jade can be very expensive and is produced in commercial amounts.

Colors of Nephrite

Though jadeite is said to have more colors than nephrite, they both can be any color of the rainbow. Nephrite can be any variety of green, yellow, red, white, orange, violet, black and blue. The more vivid the color of the piece the more expensive it can cost. The colors of jade vary depending on the content of foreign minerals such as iron, chromium and graphite.

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