How to identify Jade

To correctly identify Jade (Nephrite or Jadeite), 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

   Ranges from white, cream, yellow, brown, black, and various shades of green (most common and prized). Lavender, blue, and red are also found in jadeite. Color is often mottled or streaky.

2. 2

   Luster

   How the surface reflects light: metallic, vitreous, dull

   Vitreous to greasy, sometimes waxy.

3. 3

   Texture

   Grain size and surface feel: coarse, fine, glassy

   Typically smooth and cool to the touch. Can exhibit a fine-grained, interlocking fibrous (nephrite) or granular (jadeite) texture.

4. 4

   Crystal Form

   Shape of visible crystals or crystal faces

   Massive, compact, fibrous aggregates (nephrite) or granular aggregates (jadeite). Individual crystals are microscopic.

5. 5

   Cleavage

   How it breaks: flat cleavage planes vs irregular fracture

   Nephrite: Perfect prismatic cleavage at 56° and 124° (though rarely observed in massive forms). Jadeite: Two distinct cleavages at nearly 90° (87° and 93°), also rarely observed in massive forms.

6. 6

   Geological Environment

   The rock formation and setting where it occurs

   Nephrite: Found in serpentinized ultramafic rocks, often associated with talc, chlorite, and magnetite. Jadeite: Occurs in high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphic rocks, particularly in blueschist facies and serpentinite-rich environments, often with glaucophane, lawsonite, and albite.

Key Facts

Hardness

Nephrite: 6-6.5 (Mohs); Jadeite: 6.5-7 (Mohs)

Specific Gravity

Nephrite: 2.90-3.03; Jadeite: 3.30-3.38

Crystal System

Nephrite: Monoclinic; Jadeite: Monoclinic

Color

Wide range, most commonly green, white, and cream. Also black, brown, yellow, lavender, blue, red.

Luster

Vitreous to greasy, waxy on polished surfaces.

Transparency

Translucent to opaque, rarely semi-transparent.

Fracture

Splintery (nephrite) to granular/uneven (jadeite). Extremely tough, making it difficult to break.

Cleavage

Nephrite: Perfect prismatic {110} at 56° and 124°; Jadeite: Good prismatic {110} at 87° and 93°. Cleavage is rarely observed in massive material due to interlocking crystal structure.

Composition

Nephrite: Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 (a variety of actinolite-tremolite); Jadeite: NaAlSi2O6

Physical characteristics

• Crystal Habit: Massive, compact, fibrous aggregates (nephrite); granular aggregates (jadeite). Individual crystals are microscopic.
• Cleavage Type: Nephrite: Perfect prismatic; Jadeite: Good prismatic. Both are rarely seen in hand specimens.
• Fracture Type: Splintery (nephrite); granular to uneven (jadeite). Extremely tough.
• Tenacity: Extremely tough (resistant to breaking and chipping), due to interlocking crystal structure.
• Luster Type: Vitreous to greasy, sometimes waxy.

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