How to identify Jadeite

To correctly identify Jadeite (NaAlSi2O6), check each of these features in order. Many rocks and minerals look alike, so cross-reference multiple properties before deciding.

Step-by-step identification

1. 1

   Color

   Overall color and any zoning or banding

   Most commonly green (ranging from pale to emerald green), but can also be white, lavender, blue, pink, brown, red, orange, or black. Often mottled or variegated.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Vitreous to greasy, sometimes pearly on cleavage surfaces.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Typically fine-grained, interlocking fibrous or granular aggregates, giving it exceptional toughness.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Rarely forms distinct crystals; usually found as massive, granular, or fibrous aggregates. When crystals are present, they are typically prismatic.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   Two distinct cleavages at approximately 87° and 93° (pyroxene cleavage), but rarely observed in massive material due to its fine-grained nature.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   High-pressure, low-temperature metamorphic rocks (blueschists, eclogites) in subduction zones. Often found in serpentinite mélanges.

Key Facts

Hardness

6.5-7 on the Mohs scale

Specific Gravity

3.30-3.38

Crystal System

Monoclinic

Color

Variable, most famously green, but also white, lavender, blue, pink, brown, red, orange, black

Luster

Vitreous to greasy

Transparency

Translucent to opaque, rarely transparent

Fracture

Splintery to granular, very tough

Cleavage

Perfect on {110} at 87° and 93°, but rarely observed in massive material

Composition

Sodium aluminum inosilicate (NaAlSi2O6)

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Typically massive, granular, or fibrous aggregates; rarely as distinct prismatic crystals.
• Cleavage Type: Perfect in two directions at nearly 90 degrees (87° and 93°), characteristic of pyroxenes.
• Fracture Type: Splintery to granular, due to its interlocking microstructure.
• Tenacity: Extremely tough, making it resistant to breaking and chipping.
• Luster Type: Vitreous to greasy, sometimes pearly on cleavage surfaces.

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