About jade

Jadeite has captivated people for millennia due to its exceptional beauty and rarity. The gemstone’s striking colours, ranging from green to other colours such as white, grey, lavender, red, orange, yellow, brown and black coupled with its smooth texture, make it a highly sought-after material. Asian consumers have long been captivated by jade, and today its allure has extended to non-Asian collectors as well, drawn by its rich cultural heritage and its timeless beauty, durability, and rarity. Its historical significance in various cultures, especially in numerous parts of Asia, where it is considered a symbol of status and wealth, has also contributed to its enduring allure.

The key properties of Jadeite from a quality grading perspective which impacts value are the following (in order): colour, transparency and texture.

Colour: Jadeite is celebrated for its wide spectrum of colours, with the most sought-after shade being a specific emerald green known as "Imperial Jade."

Transparency: High-quality jadeite often exhibits a notable transparency and is semi-transparent, adding to its visual appeal.

Texture: This can range from being fine, medium and even course textured as it depends primarily on crystal size and hardness level. A fine texture and high polish are highly valued, enhancing its aesthetic and tactile qualities.

Hardness: On the Mohs scale, jadeite ranks about 6.5 to 7, which makes it durable and suitable for carving intricate designs.

Jadeite is one of the pyroxene single chainN silicates and is primarily composed of sodium aluminium silicate. Its chemical formula is NaAlSi2O6. This composition gives jadeite its distinctive properties, including its hardness and vibrant range of colours. Jadeite’s crystal structure is a monoclinic system, which means its crystals are elongated and have a distinct, slanted appearance. This structure contributes to jadeite’s toughness and its ability to be polished to a high sheen.

Credits

Jadeite’s rarity and exceptional properties make it a compelling investment. Unlike nephrite, which is more widely available, jadeite is scarce and often found in limited quantities. The value of jadeite can appreciate over time, especially for high-quality stones with exceptional colour and transparency. Additionally, its historical and cultural significance, coupled with increasing demand in the luxury market, further bolsters its investment potential.

Credits

Jadeite is considerably rarer than nephrite due to its specific geological conditions required for its formation. It primarily occurs in a few locations worldwide, Myanmar being the most notable source. The lesser known source of jadeite is in Kazakhstan, which also hosts the largest primary jadeite mine existing today where we sustainably source our jadeite from. This jadeite was formed over 450 million years back in the early Palaeozoic era and is one of the oldest jadeite occurrences. Jadeite forms under high-pressure but relatively lower temperature conditions typically in metamorphic environments. These specific conditions, coupled with its relatively rare geological occurrence, contribute to jadeite’s rarity and high value.