Enhanced jade and semi-jade

Jewelry Discussion
41 
My problem as a gemologist is that if you ask me to describe jade
gemologically, I woud not be able to do it.

With all due respect Leonid, you may not be able to describe or
identify jade, but the GIA can, and has. Quite specifically in fact.
Not only that, but demonstrating the ability to identify jade is a
requirement of the Graduate Gemologist Course final exam.

The following quotes concern jadeite jade and are direct quotes from
the “GIA Gem Reference Guide for the GIA Colored Stones and Gem
Identification Courses” book (which is a text book of the Graduate
Gemologist Course), copyright 1995, GIA. There is a similar section
in the book concerning nephrite jade, which has distinctly different
properties but is also described by the GIA as jade.

"JADEITE JADE

Description:

Nature of Material: jadeite (JADE-ite) is one of two minerals
commonly called jade (the other is nephrite); monoclinic crystal
system; chemical composition NaAlSi2O6."

Mineral samples which called jade have different refractive
induces,

"Identification:

REFRACTIVE INDEX: 1.666 - 1.680 (+_.008); spot RI, 1.66"

different densities,

“SPECIFIC GRAVITY: 3.34 (+_.06, -.09)”

different spectra,

“ABSORPTION SPECTRA: generally a line at 437 nm; natural green -
sequence of lines at 630, 635, and 690 nm, dyed green - a single
broad band in the area occupied by the three lines in natural green.”

different reaction to UV

"ULTRAVIOLET FLUORESCENCE:

Light green - inert to weak (LW); generally inert (SW)

Light yellow - inert to weak green (LW); generally inert (SW)

White - inert to weak yellow (LW); generally inert (SW)

Light Purple - inert to weak white or weak brownish red (LW);
generally inert (SW)

Some dyed lavender jadeite - moderate to strong orange (LW)
generally inert (SW)

Dark colors - generally inert (LW and SW)"

In addition, these are the recommended tests to help the gemologist
separate jadeite jade from other similar stones;

"KEY SEPARATIONS:

Nephrite - RI, SG, spectrum
Idocrase - RI, spectrum
Hydrogrossular - RI, spectrum, SG
Serpentine - RI, SG, spectrum
Chalcedony - RI, SG, fracture (possibly), spectrum
Maw-sit-sit - appearance, RI
Saussurite - RI, appearance, spectrum, fluorescence"

If something is a gemological entity, than it should be possible to
assign to it a specific set of gemological properties, but jade
does not have any, and that is my point.

Here are some more specific gemological properties of jadeite jade
as described in the “GIA Gem Reference Guide”;

"Optic Character: AGG (DR)

Birefringence: usually not detectable

Pleochroism: none

Cause of color: green - chromium and/or iron; lavender - iron
(charge transfer); yellow to brown - iron

Polish luster: vitreous to greasy

Fracture: granular to splintery

Luster: dull

Cleavage: not visible due to aggregate structure Identifying
characteristics: shiny reflections from individual crystals on
unpolished backs of larger-grained stones

Crystal Habit: massive"

I am only looking at it as gemological specimen, and as such it
does not exist.

If jade does not exist, someone should really tell the GIA so they
can remove it from the Graduate Gemologist course of study and stop
requiring students to identify it consistently without error before
awarding a Graduate Gemologist diploma.

Dave Phelps

42 
Liddicoate, Handbook of Gem Identification: Nephrite Specific
gravity: 2.95 (+/-. 05) Refractive index. 1.616 (+/-.005) to 1.632
(+/-.008) (usually a broad reading at 1.61) Hardness 6 - 6.5 Most
commonly rough fracture with dull luster

Carol, Thanks much for this input. Why didn’t I think of
Liddicoate?? Stupid.

Cheers from Don in SOFL.

43 
Liddicoate, Handbook of Gem Identification: 

Nephrite Specific gravity: 2.95 (+/-. 05) Refractive index. 1.616
(+/-.005) to 1.632 (+/-.008) (usually a broad reading at 1.61)
Hardness 6 - 6.5 Most commonly rough fracture with dull luster 

Jadeite Specific gravity: 3.34 (+/-.04) Refractive Index 1.66
(+/-.007) Hardness 6.5 - 7 Spectroscope: strong sharp line at 437
nm, 3 chrome lines possible

Precisely! Two minerals called Jade with different gemological
properties. When someone using term Jade - how am I to know whether
we are talking about Nephrite or Jadeite?

Leonid Surpin

44 
The following quotes concern jadeite jade and are direct quotes
from the "GIA Gem Reference Guide for the GIA Colored Stones and
Gem Identification Courses" book (which is a text book of the
Graduate Gemologist Course), copyright 1995, GIA. There is a
similar section in the book concerning nephrite jade, which has
distinctly different properties but is also described by the GIA as
jade.

This is quite correct, but if you turn a page of the book that you
are referencing, you will find description of another mineral called
Nephrite, which is also called Jade, and has quite different
gemological properties.

As I sait in my other post, if someone using term Jade, there is no
way to know what mineral we are talking about. The ambiguity is
easily resolve by using proper names Jadeite and Nephrite.

Gem Reference Guide is a must have for anybody handling gemstones,
but like any specialized book, it was written with expectation of
certain background, and must read carefully and completely.

Leonid Surpin

45 
When someone using term Jade - how am I to know whether we are
talking about Nephrite or Jadeite?

If they are being properly precise in the use of the word Jade (and
it’s common for non gemological references to not bother with such
correctness) then they word “Jade” should be prefaced with either
“Nephrite” or “Jadeite” or with one of the various varietal names
which specifically imply one or the other. “Imperial” jade, for
example, refers to that specific color and quality of very fine green
Jadeite. “Lavender” jade is always a jadeite. “Taiwan” jade is a
specific color/quality of nephrite. And so it goes. In the absence of
some other qualifying term such as this, and if the terms nephrite or
jadeite are not also included, and the distinction cannot otherwise
be determined by the context of the reference, then Leonid, you of
course cannot be sure. In that occasion, the term Jade is a generic
term used for either member of the group, rather than a precise
identification. But the word “Jade”, properly used, does indeed mean
one or the other, which narrows down the possible identities of a
stone a whole lot more than “some green stuff” or “hey, it was a
pretty carving” would do… This is not all that different from other
gemological terms which may indicate more than one gem. “Garnet” for
example, is a family of gems sharing characteristics of chemical
makeup, but not an exact single formula for all garnet. So a “garnet”
can be any of several gems unless more as to the type is
given. That does not make the term “garnet” totally useless nor
meaningless gemologically. Even within an almost precise chemical
makup, one can need more info. “Beryl” is a single precisely defined
mineral. But which gem? Emerald, Aquamarine, Morganite, red, etc? You
need more than just “beryl” to know that. Even “diamond” all by
itself may tell you which gem, but not much about what it looks like,
it’s rarity, or what it’s worth, unless you have more info. Just
because “jade” refers to either of two completely different minerals
does not mean the term is meaningless or useless gemologically. It
just means it may not be all you need to know.

Peter Rowe G.G. (yeah, the G.G. is from 1979. Maybe I’ve gotten
rusty. But I don’t think the total meaning or value of the word
“jade” has changed much since then…)

46 
...demonstrating the ability to identify jade is a requirement of
the Graduate Gemologist Course final exam.

Leaming gives a table of nephrite jade in different grades. The
lower grades could be very difficult to identify don’t you think? If
the mineral actinolite-tremoite is only a few % is it jade?

47 
Leaming gives a table of nephrite jade in different grades. The
lower grades could be very difficult to identify don't you think?
If the mineral actinolite-tremoite is only a few % is it jade?

Mineralogy is not the same as gemology. When you’re examining a gem
material to identify it, and its properties fall in the ranges that
have been established for nephrite jade or jadeite jade… it’s
jade. If they don’t, it’s something else.

Measuring mineral content isn’t part of standard gemological
testing, but identifications are made every day. Remember, tests are
often performed on cut stones, and destructive testing isn’t an
option.

Carol

48

With all this talk about jade, whether nephrite or jadeite, are
people using these stones in their jewelry? Are there people on this
list who are cutting jade?

I have quite a lot of both rough and finished jadeite and nephrite
and I’m curious to know what the demand for good quality jades of
either variety really is.

I might add in reference to the controversy that there are a lot of
other materials besides nephrite and jadeite that are called jade
and that practice should be seriously discouraged.

Derek Levin

49 
In that occasion, the term Jade is a generic term used for either
member of the group, rather than a precise identification. But the
word "Jade", properly used, does indeed mean one or the other,
which narrows down the possible identities of a stone a whole lot
more than "some green stuff" or "hey, it was a pretty carving"
would do...

Sure, I have no problem with that. But I originally posted my
protest to the use of the term, because there was discussion of
chemically assaying a mineral with intend to determine whether or not
it is jade, which is nonsensical.

To shed some light on the whole issue, since I had some private
discussions, it is about a source in British Columbia, which may or
may not have commercial significance. The mineral is Nephrite.

With complete awareness of common use of Jade to describe Nephrite
and Jadeite, it is very dangerous practice, especially for
lapidaries. Jadeite can be handled without much concern, general
precautions are required but not beyond that. Nephrite is quite
another matter.

Nephrite mineralogically is a mixing row of Tremolite and
Actinolite. When iron in Tremolite gets replaced by magnesium to some
degree, it becomes Actinolite. Whether it is one or another, both are
forms of asbestos. There are no safe levels of asbestos exposure, so
it is critical for lapidaries to know what are they working with.
Jade bangles are often made for children. While is is perfectly fine
if material is Jadeite, to give a child Nephrite bangle is quite
another matter. Considering all recent attention to influence of lead
and other substances it is quite remarkable that subject of Nephrite
did not receive proper exposure, considering how much of it around.

I should mention there is a view that Nephrite fibers are different
from commercial Asbestos fibers and cannot cause asbestosis. Somehow
this explanation does not comfort me. There may be some Nephrite
where this theory holds, but I seriously doubt that can be
attributed to all types of Nephrite.

Leonid Surpin

50

Derek, Yes, I for one have been cutting both jadite and nephrite on
and off for nearly 40 years now. I have made a reasonable number of
jewelry pieces with both over the years as well (not production stuff
but one offs). My clients usually have been Chinese (or other Asians)
though not a few were also occidentals who had lived in Asia over the
years. Most westerners have little appreciation for these stones
unless they lived in Asia. In my opinion, they both are beautiful and
despite all the rhetoric the past few days regarding the attributes
of each, I find them enjoyable to cut, very durable(even now I am
wearing a jade piece that has not been off my neck for nearly 15
years only after losing a previous one that I had worn for 20 more!),
and often quite beautiful. I have been collecting jade from around
the world in its many forms for years as well, not so much to acquire
large amounts but rather to have various samples.

Cheers from Don in SOFL.

51 
...demonstrating the ability to identify jade is a requirement of
the Graduate Gemologist Course final exam

If GIA is authoritative in declaring that nephrite jade must have a
certain SG, H and RI then fair advertising requires that every piece
of this jade now sold in BC should have a warning label: warning -
THIS PRODUCT IS NOT JADE ACCORDING TO GIA.

I did not post the assay results to prove what jade is but what it
is not. Jade is NOT necessarily a pure mineral which is what the GIA
definition requires because jade is sold as a rock, not a mineral
and it has very little of the actinolte-tremolite mineral content.

After the fact, a carved piece of BC jade costing tens of thousands
of dollars is not going to be chopped up and tested. However, the
ore body from which it is extracted CAN be tested before carving and
the test results can be reported on labels. “Sampling” is a big
specialization in prospecting and mining. It is not infallible but
it is fair when done correctly.

Leaming notes that BC jade is being sold in China where it is
mingled with Chinese jade and IMO that carries a risk to devaluing a
valuable BC export (which is also our “official” stone). We should
be as clear and explicit as possible about BC jade as it has nothing
to hide. Example of labelling: This stone carving is from a BC jade
ore. The ore assays as _______. It has an estimated
actinolite-tremolite content of _______%.The H is ____, SG is _____
and RI is ________

RI may not be given if the stone is opaque. RI may also not be the
GIA value given given that this stone is sold as a ROCK with only
small actinolite-remolite content.

52 
RI may not be given if the stone is opaque.

Actually it can. The name is spot R.I.

Leonid Surpin

53

Hi Don,

I’m glad to hear you appreciate these materials as much as I do.

One question. Have you ever seen jadeite with a scenic quality?

I ask because when I was in Thailand and Burma quite a few years
ago, I saw a few pieces of Burmese material like this and bought
rough that had the scenic look.

I’ve cut some pieces and it’s quite startling. But I’ve never seen
it anywhere else. So I’m wondering if other people have.

Derek

54

RI may not be given if the stone is opaque.

Actually it can. The name is spot R.I.

I think you made the point earlier that the “big three” jade
determiners of GIA do not matter to you if the product is good enough
for the customer and I would agree. Given that the Chinese have a
more “liberal” taxonomy of jade, what do Don’s Chinese customers say?
Do they look for the three GIA criteria of RI, SG and H?

I have a nice looking tile here which was a gift and most details of
its history are lost. As far as I know it came from a Chinese gift
shop and it was sold as the jade mount for a brass abacus. It looks
like nephrite jade, dark green with light yellowish-green strands. If
you google on Lilloet jade that kind of stranding is also what you
see in all pictures of opaque jade river stones being sold. For the
benefit of fellow prospectors like Keith I also have the geological
maps of the Fraser River where jade is found and where
visitors/tourists by BC decree may freely harvest the stones. Both
the rock sources on the maps stated as greenstone and as amphibolite
could be sources of the jade river stones IMO.

Suppose a buyer from China or anywhere buys them as as BC jade. The
price asked is considerable. Does it matter if they are “really”
jade? The earlier discussion of RI earlier on Orchid led to the
conclusion that every mineral will allow light to pass through if you
slice it thin enough. Thus the apparently opaque jade above could be
sliced thin and RI tested.

It gets down to honesty in presenting/representing the product. BC
jade is a major industry and it is our official stone. How can “real”
BC jade be protected in the market place? All it takes is honesty in
advertising if I may use a jingoism. That applies as well to any
enhancements after it comes to the shop.

Speaking from the standpoint of a customer, what do I want in my
collection of BC carved jade bears? Does it matter if it is anything
more than a pretty green stone? Does it matter if the pink salmon in
the mouth of one bear is not “really” rhodonite but rather just any
pretty pink stone?

I expect the jade bears to be real jade because that is what I
bought. Likewise for the abacus tile. If I buy one like it I expect
it to be real jade when it is sold as jade. Yes, I know Leaming says
all kinds of stones can be legally sold as jade. But “buyer beware”
is not good enough.

Here then is what I would recommend to Senator and former BC mines
minister Neufeld (ccd) to protect buyers and honest sellers of BC
jade. The label sold with the jade should contain the seller’s
definition of jade. The definition I would use is that jade is an
actinolite-tremolite ore with variable percentages of the
mineral-actinolite and aesthetic qualities which warrant further
cutting and carving. The label would give a quantification of
actinolite-tremolite. The buyer is responsible for rating the
aesthetics of course.

Any other data on the label re SG, H and RI could be added. I would
not expect a single RI. Why? Because I doubt there is a single piece
of BC nephrite jade in any Vancouver shop which has only one RI. I
presented jade bead assay results to prove that nice quality jade
beads have < 10% actinolite-tremolite. One implication is that these
complex jade stones must have MULTIPLE RIs. Stating them on a label
is of no value to the customer. Even H and SG are variable given the
rock (rather than mineral) qualities of jade but H and SG values may
have value for durability and as a buyer I would like to see them on
a label.

55 
One question. Have you ever seen jadeite with a scenic quality? I
ask because when I was in Thailand and Burma quite a few years ago,
I saw a few pieces of Burmese material like this and bought rough
that had the scenic look.

This relates to how prospecting for Jadeite goes.

Jadeite is found as boulders in river beds. The surface of boulders
are oxidized and quite unattractive. The boulders may or may not
contain valuable green rough, so boulders are sliced layer by layer
to reveal what is inside. Some slices do have resemblance to scenic
agates.

Leonid Surpin

56

As a Graduate Gemologist, this thread on jade has, in my opinion,
degenerated to the point where any scientific methodology used to
separate a gem from all others used in Gemology had lost all meaning
through subjective reasoning as opposed to repeatable testing
procedures that are recognized and established. My opinion is that
there is some total nonsense being used to support a fantasy that
cannot be realized in reality.

The word jade is used in some parts of the world for many materials
that do not meet the criteria for the G.I.A. definition of jade using
the procedures and test equipment used in gemology. Just like the
word hot is a concept that other languages have a word that relay
the same concept, jade by the G.I.A. criteria means something,
regardless of what any rock is called by anyone of any nationality in
any country. Who calls something jade is not part of any criteria in
gemological testing.

There is a way to determine whether a rock is jadeite or nephrite,
if the rock does not meet the criteria, it is not jade. The color of
the rock does not indicate anything.

An analysis of what a rock is composed of does not have anything to
do with whether it is jade. The gemological tests determine whether
it is jade.

Handbook of Gem Identification lists nephrite as R.I. 1.606-1.632,
S.G .2.88, hardness 6, near transparent.

Jadeite is R.I.1.66-1.68, S.G. 3.34, hardness 6.5-7, spectrum. If a
rock is tested and it has both the specific R.I. and S.G. listed, it
is either nephrite or jadeite, or it is not, period. I was once told
in my gemology class that gemological testing is not to determine
what something is, it is to exclude everything it is not until you
are left with the only possibility of what it can be based on the
criteria established for that rock that are the indications of what
that rock is that distinguishes it from ALL others.

Richard Hart, G.G.
Denver, Co.

57

Sounds like mawsitsit but need a picture.

Irv B.

58

I agree with you subject to the qualification that this
"degeneration" for spelling out the scientific characteristics of
jade pre-existed the “thread”.

The degeneration in naming/identifying/defining jade also threatens
the integrity of a valuable BC industry built around our official
provincial stone. Perhaps that is why some people want a new official
stone for BC. My vote was coal.

This issue is set out explicitly in Leaming’s book in which he says
that he encountered a surprisingly liberal definition of jade in some
quarters of China when he travelled there as teacher-student. IOW
jade could be any carvable stone.

But I do not think “any old pretty stone” is what buyers and sellers
expect when they buy jade from a store in Vancouver. The high price
tag does not reflect “any old stone”. I see stones sold as BC black
jade and white jade and remember Leaming’s section titled “Buyer
Beware”. Maybe it is jade and maybe not. The liberal definition of
any old stone is not what a tourist buyer pays $50/lb for in the
rougth and more when fashioned into some kind of carving. That is not
what he says back in Tokyo or London when he goes home and displays
his BC momento. Since these carvings all look opaque except for rare
pieces which have very thin portions like thin bird wings,
translucency is not very helpful to the buyer as a criterion for
purchase. I have three of the very nice BC bears sold so widely and
not one is translucent any more than the pink rhodonite fish. Neither
is the jade pedestal on which one bear stands. BTW do you remember the
previous thread on translucency? The bottom line was an expert opinion
which came from an academic centre (it is in the Orchid archives) and
stated that EVERY mineral has translucency so a translucency rating
in gemology becomes as subjective as a colour rating.

Thus I recommended to Senator Neufeld that we have a small piece of
legislation to protect our fledgling industry. Leaming says BC has
about 1/3 of world proven reserves of nephrite jade (Appendix 2) but
we have a mountain region here twise the area of Japan and this
industry is just getting started in BC.

The law would require labelling to identify the major jade
parameters. It would not force anybody’s formal definition to be
accepted. Leaming does not even try to set out a formal definition
but he is consistent in his requirement of objective, scientific
FACTS,

Leonid’s position as I understood it was that there is a commercial
definition and a GIA definition. Good, honest labelling is just truth
in advertising and it does not prejudge which definition is best. The
label is the definition. It is perfectly scientific and objective -
not even slightly subjective.

Example of a Label: This product was derived from an ore body of
actinolite-tremolite which is BC jade. It has a representative H of
6, SG of 3.0 and the RI is not given because, like all BC nephrite
jade ores it is a complex rock and not a pure mineral. It has a number
of RIs because there are many minerals in the rock. The assay of Ca,
Mg and Fe is ______ which results in an atomic mass calculation of
_____% as the maximum concentration of actinolite-tremolite in this
stone.

59 
It has a representative H of 6, SG of 3.0 and the RI is not given
because, like all BC nephrite jade ores it is a complex rock and
not a pure mineral.

does not make sense to me, you want to ignore what is one of the
criteria for nephrite to be nephrite.

I gave 2/3 GIA criteria for jade. What good would it do the buyer or
seller to say "This stone is 5% nephrite jade with an RI of _____? Or
would you want to see it on a label? But I can’t figure out why?

60

Mawsitsit is found in the area of Thailand where Imperial Jade is
found. Composed of Ureyite and Albite and Chromium rich. Available
from American-Thai Trading

Irv B.