Jewelry Blog

> Mysterious and magical, jade is the stuff legends are made out of. One of these legends is that Spanish conquers wore amulets of jade to prevent or cure hip and kidney complaints.Jade is often referred to as the Stone of Heaven by the Chinese and used to gain insight into their culture and history. It’s considered a symbolic link between man and the spiritual world.The word Jade (derived from the 16th century Spanish name, la piedra de la ijada or stone for the loins) seems to evoke feelings of mystery, romance and wealth. Owners tend to develop an emotional attachment for this substance. Since the value of jade is in the scarcity, there’s nowonder it’s commonly “faked” by using less valuable substitutes and passing them off as jade. While scrupulous dealers would never dream of tricking their buyers, less honorable sellers get away with such practices by the labels they attach to their imitations. Following is a list of someof them:

Imperial Mexican Jade or Mexican Jade = dyed Calcite.

American Jade = Californite or Green Idocrase.

Indian Jade = Aventurine.

Amazon Jade or Colorado Jade = Amazonite or Green Feldspar.

Korean Jade or New Jade = Serpentine.

Jade is sold by the piece rather than by the carat. Color is the most important value factor but translucency, texture and pattern are also considered when selecting specimens.There are two kinds of Jade, the less expensive Nephrite and the opulent Jadeite.
Interesting information here