Nephrite Carved

Hand Carved Natural Jade Nephrite 58mm Bangle Bracelet
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US $29.99

Jade Nephrite Carved Phoenix Flower Amulet Lover Pendant Gift 9175
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US $.99

49oz Natural Hetian Jade Nephrite pendant carving 313
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US $9.99

China jade Nephrite carveddragon Phoenixthe Eight Diagrams amulet pendant
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US $8.99

China jade Nephrite carved Two sided Dragon SHOU ZI amulet pendant
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US $8.99

Old Chinese Spinach Nephrite Jade Carved Brush Washer Plate
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US $42.99

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Since the ancient times, jade has been a popular stone for all kinds of jewellery and even other works of art. Jade has been well known and revered across the world as a coveted gemstone right from Europe to Asia. Jade can be found in many different colors and that is also why it is so sought after. Though people readily identify green jade, it is also available in other colors like orange, yellow, and grey and white.

Till the late nineteenth century, two stones were considered jade which actually have different mineral compositions. Still today, many people consider these stones as jade namely Nephrite and jadeite. While jadeite is chemically a silicate of aluminum and sodium, Nephrite is made up of magnesium and calcium. Jadeite is generally more expensive of the two since it's tougher and rarer.

Large blocks of jade are extracted from mines and many times auctioned in Asian countries. These blocks are used to make ornaments, statues, daggers and even jewellery cases. Jade is naturally found in places like South America, Russia, Myanmar and China. The Chinese have been using jade for many centuries. It is known as Yu in China and used in many religious ceremonies and even ornaments and formed an important part of the royal house hold

As far as the hardness is concerned, jade surpasses steel. Since it is so hard, it is ground and polished rather than carved. Before grounding jade, it is made wet with water because when ground dry, it produces a fine dust which can clog the lungs like asbestos. The tools used for working jade include abrasives, silicone carbide tools or diamond tools and papers. Finer grades of abrasives are used to work jade in succession in grits like 36, 80, and 100 and so on. Once the grit reaches 600 or 1200, it is time to polish jade using diamond pastes of extremely fine grades mixed with different compounds on leather, chrome oxide mixtures or felt.

Generally, it is believed that jade is best suited for slim and slender jewellery which is why it is more used for making bracelets, necklaces and pendants.

The treatment of jade is based on its quality. Excellent or Type A quality jade is quite expensive and does not require a lot of treatment. All it needs is some surface polishing and waxing. Jade stones of type A quality sometimes tend to be more expensive than diamonds. The type B quality jade is injected with a polymer which helps in improving the color and the transparency. Type C jade is usually not considered for jewellery and is dyed using artificial means. Type A quality jade is the best kind of stone for jewellery.

Here are some more points which should be remembered when looking for jade jewellery:

1. Translucent jade is a better bet than opaque jade

2. Flaws and cracks reflect poor quality jade

3. Infra red spectroscopy can help in distinguishing a dyed piece of jade and a naturally colored piece.

Graeme Olsen writes for JadeJewellery.net.au, specializing in jade bangle jewellery.

瘋狂的石頭新疆羊脂白玉Crazy stone（Nephrite）