Jade is one of the terms that have been left behind thousands of years. It is a hard rock which was refined in to axe heads, weapons, jewelry, and art over a period of more than five thousand years. It was easily used as early as it was because it is extremely tough. Due to the fact that some of the pieces were placed in beautiful colors and could be shone to a nice brightness, people began to use jade as a jewel and ornamental object as well. Although the majority of people visualize a green rock, jade does appear in a rainbow of colors: green, white, lavender, yellow, blue, black, red, orange, and gray.
Are All Jades the Same?
You may imagine that jade was only a single item, and that that used to be the general opinion. However, in 1863 a French scientist, Alexis Damour, did deduce that we call jade when it is in fact two minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Since it may sometimes be difficult to distinguish between them, and the word jade is well ingrained in the everyday slang, it continues to be used in nearly all areas, including factories and universities. To make it clear, however, when I write jade I mean unspecified jade, but when we do know whether the stuff is jadeite or nephrite, then I shall write that particular name. And to mention, nephrite is a stretch meaning mixed actinolite and tremolite.
Jadeite, Nephrite, and Science
The jadeite and nephrite are rather different scientifically. Jadeite is a pyroxene containing an aluminum; nephrite is a magnesium containing amphibole. But to a layman they are practically the same. One needs a trained eye, and special equipment, in order to reliably distinguish between them. That is essentially the reason why it took 1863 before scientists actually subdivided them into different minerals. Gemologists dealing with polished miniature objects, such as beads or cabochons, can also more easily see the variations, since jadeite and nephrite vary in refractive index and weight.
Jade, Nephrite, and Artisans
The Chinese artisans have over five thousand years making jade stuff. A couple of hundred years ago, the foremost workmen have observed that jade of Burma (since known as Myanmar) was of another nature–dense, tough, simpler to work, and it polished to a shinning surface. The variety became the popular one with Chinese laborers and the jade that all desired and it was not until scientists discovered jadeite and nephrite in 1863 that the varieties became segregated. The craftsmen were carving out jadeite out of the nephrite in a way and the former was already appreciated, but the former did not have the scientific instruments to differentiate them officially. They only occasionally came upon jadeite that was fine-grained and gorgeous in its transluency, and of even shade of green. They named this beautiful rock Imperial Jade and they regarded it as the best. At that time it could only be owned by the emperor. Imperial Jade can now be purchased by any person who can afford it, and even the finest is priced higher than big-diamonds per gram.
Jade Types and Treatments
Makers and vendors of jade have been over centuries experimenting with methods of making it look nicer. They have employed heat, wax, coloring, bleach, acids, polymers etc. to enhance color, shine and permanency of both jadeite and nephrite. Although these ways are the norm in the traditional jade making, serious buyers today would require that full disclosure of all the tweaks done be made. Jadeites are divided into three categories depending on their treatments based on the trade: Type A, B, and C.
Type A Jadeite
The traditional, wax-finished appearance is the type A. The craftsman simply boils the jade in water to clean it, and then dries it, then immerses it in melted wax and leaves it to seep into the pores. Next they cool and cut away the surplus wax and polish to a shine with a back and forth motion offering a smooth lustrous finish.
Type B Jadeite
Type B is all bleach: into the jade they pour hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, to strip off oxidation and sodium, which whitens the colour. Then they close the pores with wax or a clear polymer resin to provide it with that polished feel. But the acid may cause the jade to brittle, and the resin may yellow, as time passes or in heat. Due to these dangers, sellers are required to disclose Type ⁻ B treatments but most of them evade this by simply skimming under the carpet particularly because Type B jadeite is only offered at a quarter of the price of a Type A. It may require lab tests to be detected.
Type C Jadeite
Type C follows on the footsteps of B but with a dye that makes it appear more vivid. The dyes can also fade away with time/heat or light hence disclosure is required. The use of dyes can be verified by a microscope or spectroscopy, but frankly enough the seller should mention this at the first instance, most Types C pieces remain quite affordable particularly in comparison to Type B. When purchasing a Type C work of art, you should only have a few years to enjoy its appearance. Severe shoppers, specifically those that pay thousands of dollars on jade, ought to understand the distinction among jadeite and nephrite, the effects of treatments on the price, and verify a lab report on high-priced jewelry.
Jade Misnomers
Misnomer merely refers to calling things by the wrong name. Other times a seller of a stone that resembles another more valuable gemstone, such as green-dye calcite, calls it Mexican jade, and deceptively sells it. Although there may be no intention to deceive, it may mislead and disorient the customers. We have an example in point, some vendors call calcite or travertine which is stained green, Mexican jade. Customers who may decide to pick it up may be cheated, although the seller did not intend to cheat.