Jade, smooth, translucent and with a myriad of vivid colors, is the Talisman and the diamond of the East.  Revered and treasured by the Chinese for thousands of years since civilization began at the site of the Yellow River, Jade has occupied a very important ritualistic place in the mythology, folklore, philosophy and traditions of  the ubiquitous Chinese permeating to every fabric of the Chinese private, social and official life. Confucius whose teachings reflected and established the essence of ancient Chinese thoughts and philosophy attributed jade to have the qualities of virtues, kindness, justice, sincerity and good faith.  It was said that when Confucius was born the qilin (celestial unicorn) appeared just before his birth at his house with a jade book in its mouth, a potent sign that mankind is to be endowed with a wise and learned sage.

    With its thousand years myths and legends jade occupies a pristine divine status over all other precious gemstones in ancient China. An ancient legend had it that when people were new on earth and fell prey to the wild animals the Storm God took pity and threw them a jade axe.  The people discovered the axe and found out the origin of the stone and they called Jade - the Stone of Heaven. In the realm of the Chinese superstitions and ethereal world the emperor that ruled all immortals in the Kingdom of Heaven is the Jade Emperor.

    In another aspect of the Chinese folk legends jade was thought to be a product formed by the interaction of the distillated essence of the great mountains and rivers.  It contained the primordial ‘qi’ (vital breath energy) of Heaven and Earth.  It was the positive force, the yang element and the male charter.  In the olden days jade pebbles and boulders were picked by young maidens walking naked on the river bed in the middle of the  night.  Both the yin energy of the young maiden and the dominant yin force of the night would attract the positive yang element of jade.  Thus, when a maiden stepped onto a jade pebble while threading the turbulent river stream there would be an immediate polarity attraction and the young maiden would pick up the jade pebble.

    Jade can be traced back to the ancient cultures of the Neolithic people (circa 5000 BC - 1700 BC) in China. In these early Neolithic times jade ornaments were used as an integral part of the imperial palace ceremonial and state regalia, religious rites and as funeral artifacts for the emperor.  To preserve the body against corruptive elements and decay and to bestow the emperor with immortality, burial suits made of jade tiles were sewn together with gold threads to embalm kings and queens.  The tomb of the royal prince Liu Sheng of the Han Dynasty (202 B.C. to 9 A.D.) discovered in Hebei contains a funeral suit made of nearly 2,500 jade tiles threaded with gold.

    From the earliest time jade has been venerated and accorded as the talismanic stone with supernatural power. Apart from its aesthetic beauty jade is worn as an amulet to bring good fortune and luck and as protection against harm and evil.  In an ornamental object such as a jade carving with auspicious symbols it enhances the feng-shui of the environment attracting and retaining the good ‘yang qi’ within its sphere of vibratory influence. An uncut jade block strategically placed is capable of capturing the all pervasive life-giving power of the sun storing its yang energy and expelling the invasive yin spirits. This stems from the belief that evil and misfortune arise because of the predominance and excessiveness of the yin energy.  If the negative yin energy is too strong a piece of jade would even crack or break mysteriously thus deflecting away the evil force and so protects the wearer.  Hence, it is a small consolation to many Chinese that when a valuable jade is broken it has save him from dire misfortune.

    Jade was also thought to have therapeutic value.  Li Shizhen (1518 - 1593) the well educated and fame Chinese physician of traditional medicine of the Ming Imperial Court compiled the “Compendium of Materia Medica” which contained well over 11,000 prescriptions and 1900 kinds of herbal medicine that took him 30 years to complete. Among the various prescriptions jade is featured prominently.  Taken in small amount in powdery form it is the elixir of life as it adds vitality to the body improving the health of the heart, liver, kidneys and lungs.  Scars on the face or body would heal if constantly rubbed with a jade piece.  Young children who have undergone ‘shock’ (literally fear of the unknown) can be brought to their senses by wearing a piece of jade.  Such is the  relevance of jade to the old Chinese society.  The compendium is still widely used today as a standard reference by most  Chinese physicians in China although it is unlikely that they would recommend jade as a panacea to cure all ailments.

    The term jade covers two different minerals - nephrite jade and jadeite jade. In its common term nephrite jade is known as the soft jade while jadeite is known as the hard jade.  Of the two minerals jadeite is much more highly prized because of its translucency, rich vibrant colors and its rarity.  Nephrite jade was already popular more than 5,000 years ago while jadeite reportedly became known during the 13th century when the previously inaccessible jadeite deposits in Burma found its way into China. It was during the era of Emperor Qianlong (1736 - 1795) that jadeite carvings and jewelry flourished and reached its peak. Some of the greatest jadeite jade carvings were done during his reign as Emperor.  As an avid collector of arts and foreign objects, Emperor Qianlong decreed the set up of lapidaries and cutting centers to indulge his passion for jade carvings. The Imperial Courts were still using nephrite as the main carving material but soon a 'new' jade material arrived at the Palace from the port of Guangdong in the late Qianlong period (around 1780). This cargo of rough jade was a tribute from Burma after a new trade agreement was signed.  Jadeite jade has arrived.

    Very soon Emperor Qianlong was so imbued and fascinated by jadeite that he insisted that all his personal accessories be carved from jadeite - from his comb to the bowl he washed his hands in, to the cup he drank and the dinner set where he had his banquet. He slept on a jadeite pillow, his hand was constantly playing with a jadeite ball where he would spend time in contemplation, his dagger scabbard was inlaid with jadeite, the pot which he mixed his ink to his brush handle were all carved from jadeite. The most famous and evocative of his personal preference is perhaps his archer’s ring which is a holorith band ring worn on the thumb. On being presented with the thumb ring by his master artisan he immediately composed a famous poem lamenting that he was old and could not draw a bow and that the thumb ring would be his only consolation. Like a concubine that had fallen out of favor with the Emperor, however, in this case it was the Queen of Hearts, the poor cousin  nephrite was been relegated to second place and sent into exile.  Overnight Jadeite overshadowed and replaced nephrite completely as the Court’s favorite precious stones and master artisans were no longer interested in nephrite carvings in tune with the shift in the Emperor’s taste and indulgences. The transformation was sudden and drastic.  Jadeite has uprooted the core of the nephrite jade culture of a few thousand years with a long lineage of dynasties by an edict of the Emperor at the stroke of a brush.  Before long court ministers, officials and powerful Mandarins desired and lusted after the true Stone of Heaven and it also began to filter into the masses.  Because of its ready acceptance of the Stone of Heaven by Emperor Qianlong, jadeite jade became known as fei-cui, a term as referred to the kingfisher with its lush and vivid colored feathers.  The Westerners quickly found the term Imperial Jade appealing with its palace intrigues, court politics, nepotism, horse trading and romance associated with the Emperor’s unbridled passion for the stone. Since then top quality emerald green jadeite jade became known as the Imperial Jade. 

Both minerals have different chemical composition and differs widely in their optical and physical properties though there are some similarities.  Separation between Jadeite Jade and Nephrite Jade can sometimes be tough if you are not familiar with both minerals.

The following highlights the differences :

Identification of jade and gemstones have come a long way since the day when a dealer proclaimed that he has 30 years experience and that he can identify a gemstone by sight.  With a market flushed with fakes and imitation a more scientific approach using gemological instruments is being taken.  Moreover, with modern technology a gemstone can be synthetically grown in a lab with the same properties and characteristics as a natural gemstone.  This is done by simulating the acts of mother nature by subjecting a known compound with the same chemical constituent as a natural gemstone to high heat and pressure. What mother nature takes several million of years to crystallize a gemstone under harsh and ever changing environmental conditions, a lab-grown gemstone can take only a few hours to create.  

   Jadeite Jade is perhaps one of the most difficult gemstones to identify simply because there are a number of gemstones whose characteristics resemble that of jadeite. There are a few key gemological tests which when carried out properly can provide confirmation. There are also some ‘quick-and-dirty’ negation tests which will tell you that a stone is definitely not jadeite but yet you cannot ascertain the identity in the absence of certain confirmation tests.  This would be useful when you are a buyer in the field armed with only a loupe and your common sense and your interest is only in buying jadeite jade. 

   The following tests are useful to note:

Crystalline Nature :  Jadeite jade is a crystalline mineral and therefore feels cool to the touch.  If you rub the specimen and it warms up fast chances are the stone is not even crystalline. Unorthodox method - but this test has saved many a buyer from being swindled by unscrupulous dealers trying to pass on plastics or high-tech green acrylics to unwary buyers.

Specific Gravity :  This is the relative weight of jade as compared to an equal volume of water.  SG of Jadeite is 3.3, which means that it is 3.3 times heavier than water.  One can feel the weight of the stone by hefting it on the fingers. As nephrite has an SG of 2.9 an experienced jade dealer can differentiate the stone just by hefting it on the fingers or if it is a big boulder lifting it with his hands.  It has been said by many jade dealers that somehow the ‘vibration’ of the stone will  get into you.  The first exercise that a person who seriously wanted to learn the jade trade from a master is to heft a variety of stones.  After about 6 months and a few thousands of stones of varied sizes and types a novice would be able to separate jadeite and other stones just by hefting it. A more scientific approach would be using a hydrostatic balance to measure the SG.

Hardness : On the Mohs scale each gemstone is classified in the order of hardness from  1 to 10.  Diamond is the hardest in the mineral kingdom and has a relative value of 10.  Jadeite’s hardness is between 6.5 to 7.  Using a quartz crystal (7hardness) a jadeite stone would resist the scratch of a quartz.  Hardness test is destructive and is only useful when one is buying rough.  

Refractive Index :  When light travels from air to a gemstone of denser medium the ray of light would bend on entering the gemstone.  A common occurrence would be when one observes a stick half immersed in water which gives it the illusion that it is bend.  By measuring the velocity of light in air to the velocity of light in the gemstone the RI can be ascertained.  RI is the single most important factor in identification as all gemstones have a definite RI or a fixed range of RI.  For Jadeite Jade the RI is 1.66.  The RI can be measured with the use of a Refractometer.

Microscopic Observations : To best view a gemstone a gem microscope of 60X is required.  First view the specimen under reflected light to observe its surface polishing taking note of any chips or fractures. Next you can use the ‘darkfield illumination’ (light emitting from the side of a microscope with a black buffer plate to give contrast) where you can see the inclusions and the texture of the specimen very clearly.  Typical inclusions in a jadeite include fine microscopic hairs, ‘clouds’, natural colored vein lines and small shiny crystal reflections. 

Spectroscopy : Using a spectroscope, the light transmitted or reflected by a gemstone can be analyzed.  Certain wavelength are absorbed due to the presence of trace elements like chromium in jadeite. The spectra of a gemstone will be shown as dark lines across the spectrum.  A line at 437nm is diagnostic of Jadeite while a sequence of lines from 630 to 690 is confirmative of a natural jadeite.  This is by far the most reliable method in determining whether a jadeite is dyed or natural.  Dyed jadeite has a broad band width within the said range. 

Other Instruments : Other instruments like  a 10x loupe, hand-held spectroscope, UV light, dichroscope, polariscope, chelsea filter, fiber optic light are of great help. These tests give observable, objective and repeatable results in a gem lab and only depend to a certain extent on the subjective interpretation of a gemologist.

     In buying a jadeite jade the most important thing to note is whether the jade is natural or has been treated and enhanced. In the jewelry trade, jadeite is classified into 3 categories, which has been internationally accepted;

• Type A jade : Natural jadeite that has not undergone any chemical treatment; 

• Type B jade : Jadeite which has been bleached with a strong corrosive acid to remove impurities.  It is then   pre-heated to open up the ‘pores’ before being impregnated with colored polymer resin to enhance translucency and add color to the stone;

• Type C jade : Jadeite which has been dyed with organic compounds.

    Type A Jadeite is for the connoisseur, the discerning and the true lover of jade. As natural jadeite is getting rare, possessing a piece of natural jade, even though it may not be a high quality one, would be like owning a piece of  antiquity from mother nature. Constant handling and wearing an untreated jade would enhance its appearance naturally over time. Natural jadeite is quite porous and the body sweat and oil will seep into the stone giving it more luster and brilliance.  Hence, the Chinese belief that jade is a living stone has some relevance and familiarity to it.  A family heirloom should be a Type A jade for it gets better with ‘age’ and wear.  Type A jade is a purchase for posterity as its beauty would transcend the present and its value would definitely appreciate.  A natural jadeite carved and polished  fifty  years ago will still look as brilliant as it is today, its color still remains and it evokes fond remembrance for the person from whom the jade is inherited. All jadeite put under the hammer by international auction houses have been certified in house or by a reputable gem lab to be natural jadeite. 

    In contrast Type B and Type C jadeite jade are very low quality jadeite made to look good after treatment.  The luster would  go off once the polymer deteriorates or it would be discolored once the dye leaks. In fact the structure of jade has been altered irreversibly by the strong corrosive acid.  These type of jade are beautiful with pleasing colors but they are ephemeral, it will pass into oblivion and be valueless in time to come. You are not buying a precious gemstone, you are only purchasing a costume jewelry to fit your present fashion trend.  If you are a keen believer that jadeite would indeed bring you fortune and luck then you should avoid buying treated jade.  Jade of this type can be bought cheaply at flea market or on 5-foot pavement along a busy street in Hong Kong or China.

In the early 80s when Type B jade first appeared on the market it caused an unprecedented upheaval to the jade industry. It came as an avalanche.  Overnight a lot of beautiful green jade flooded the market.  The manufacturer maintained price to skim the market.   Natural jade dealers wondered where did these jadeite pieces suddenly came from.  They knew that something was afoot as beautiful green jade were rare especially when they came in matching pairs or in a suite and the sizes were too big to be true.  They knew that some new material had been introduced into the jade.  The naked eye could not see any surface coating nor could it be detected under a 60x microscope or a spectroscope.  Natural jade dealers feared that they would be driven out of the market if their genuine goods cannot be differentiated from the treated goods.  A few dealers in Hong Kong took the initiative to research the matter to counter these treated jade.  By using a FTIR (Fournier Transform Infra Red) equipment natural jadeite gives a certain signature fingerprint while in a polymer impregnated jade there are some absorption peaks at certain wavelength.  By scanning the jade piece through an FTIR the results are very clear that Type A and Type B jade can be differentiated.  The scientific principle is simple.  Natural jadeite is a silicate of sodium and aluminum and does not contain any organic hydrocarbon.  Polymers are hydrocarbons and if exposed to an infra-red beam the C-H bonds would vibrate, flex or bend.  By mapping the results on a graph certain absorption peaks would be diagnostic of Type B jade.

    Once a sure proof detection is found the jade industry got back on its own feet.  The market for Type B jade crashed and prices fell through the roof.  In fact the introduction of Type B jade was a blessing in disguise for those natural jade dealers.  People now sought Type A jade and they were prepared to pay a higher premium.  Gem labs rushed to purchase the FTIR equipment and did a brisk trade identifying Type A and Type B jade. For a reputable jeweler he would sell a Type A jade above a certain value with an accompanying certificate from a gem lab. A lot of PR work was required to inform the public on the new enhancement.  And not surprising no manufacturer came forward to file any patent rights for their new enhancement processes.  It still remained a trade secret and there are still a lot of money to be made by catching the unwary.

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