What is Green Jade?
Green Jade is a trade and decorative material name, not one mineral species: the material may be jadeite jade, nephrite or another green ornamental rock sold under the jade name.
Mineralogy and structure
Reference formula: no single ideal formula applies. Green Jade is a trade/material category for green jade-bearing rocks. Green Jade has no single ideal formula or crystal system because the trade name covers different rocks and mineral assemblages. The exact identity should be stated as jadeite, nephrite or another material when known; no artificial lattice is assigned to the category. The reference record uses no single crystal system applies to the material category symmetry. Typical hardness is 6–7 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 2.9–3.4.
Colour, lustre and habit
Typical colours include green, apple-green, dark green, yellow-green. The usual massive, granular, compact habit and waxy, vitreous, greasy lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Formation and notable localities
Green Jade forms in or is associated with metamorphic jadeitite and nephrite-forming systems, serpentinite contacts and secondary alluvial deposits. Important documented localities include Myanmar, Guatemala, China, Russia, Canada, New Zealand and other jade-producing regions.
Why provenance matters
Green jade sells through toughness, polish, colour and provenance. The strongest commercial description names the actual material and origin instead of promising that every green stone called jade has the same mineral composition.
Collecting and care
Most jade materials are tough, but polished surfaces can still scratch or chip. Avoid harsh acids, prolonged heat and unverified dye or polymer treatments; record whether the material is jadeite, nephrite, treated or another ornamental rock.
