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Jadeite


Properties
Chemical Composition: 
Sodium Aluminium Silicate - NaAl(SiO3)2
Classification / Type: 
Belongs to the pyroxene group of minerals.
Colors / Varieties: 
All colors from white, green, lilac, pink, brown, yellow, grey to black. Highly valued color is emerald green known as Imperial Jade. Transparency: Semi-transparent to Opaque.
Crystal System / Forms: 

Monoclinic System / Cryptocrystalline, consists of interlocking crystals as boulders.

Hardness: 
7
Specific Gravity: 
3.30 - 3.36
Cleavage / Fracture: 
Not visible / Granular fracture.
Optic Character: 
Anisotropic, D.R.; Aggregate (A.G.G.)
Lustre: 
Vitreous to greasy.
Refractive Index / Birefringence: 
1.654 - 1.667 (Spot R.I. 1660) / 0.013
Pleochroism: 
None.
Dispersion: 
-
Magnification: 
  • A dimpled effect is seen on the surface, due to differences in hardness of the grains.
  • Dyed jadeite (green): color concentrations along cracks.
U.V. Fluorescence: 
Varies with colors.
Spectrum: 
  • Green jadeite (Cr %): 437.5nm, doublet at 690nm, other lines at 630nm, 655nm may be seen.
  • Dyed green jadeite: 437.5nm, band at 650nm.
Cause of Color: 
  • Emerald green - Chromium
  • Duller green - Iron
  • Yellow, brown - Iron
  • Lavender - Manganese
Treatment (Enhancement): 
  • Bleaching: used to remove color discrepancies and provide a uniform color.
  • Coating
  • Colorless impregnation: a specific example is B - Jade. This is low quality jadeite which is initially bleached and then polymer treated to produce a more uniformly colored and durable material.
  • Colored impregnation (dyeing): dyed green and lavender commonly.
  • Heat treatment: jadeite containing yellow brown iron is heated to give reddish brown colors.
Specific Tests & Remarks: 
Very tough mineral (but not the hardest).
Synthesis: 
Prevalent but not in commercial use.
Simulants (with key separation tests): 
Nephrite (R.I., S.G., structure, spectrum), Synthetic Jadeite (slightly higher hardness, no spectrum), Composite (junction plane, inclusions), Serpentine (R.I., S.G., lustre, hardness), Idocrase (R.I., spectrum, structure), Hydrogrossular Garnet (R.I., S.G.), Prehnite (R.I., birefringence, structure), Aventurine Quartz (R.I., S.G., structure, spectrum), Maw-sit-sit (color, structure).
Geological Occurrence: 
As alluvial boulders in metamorphosed rocks as nodules, in serpentine
Sources: 
Myanmar, U.S.A. (California), Russia, China, etc.
Cuts & Uses: 
Cabochons, beads, carvings, etc.
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