Meaning & symbolism
Jade is not one mineral but two. Nephrite is an amphibole, a felted mass of tremolite and actinolite fibres so tightly interlocked that it is the toughest natural stone in common use, which is why it was worked into axe heads and adzes for thousands of years before anyone thought to carve it into ornaments. Jadeite is a pyroxene, denser and harder, and it is the one that reaches the vivid emerald green the trade calls imperial. The two were only told apart in 1863, when the French mineralogist Alexis Damour analysed material coming out of Burma and realised the Chinese word yu had been covering two different rocks all along. Both are waxy rather than glassy, both are heavy in the hand, and neither of them sparkles.
Healing properties
Harmony and endurance
- Associated with the heart chakra
- Traditionally a stone of balance rather than momentum
- Carried for longevity and steady, slow-building fortune
Protection and passage
- Worn as a travellers' talisman across several cultures
- Given as a gift meant to outlive the giver
- Kept for calm decisions under pressure
Real mineralogy
- Nephrite: amphibole, Mohs 6 to 6.5, specific gravity 2.90 to 3.03
- Jadeite: pyroxene, Mohs 6.5 to 7, specific gravity 3.30 to 3.38
- Waxy to greasy lustre, never sparkling
How to use it
Wear it. Jade is a stone that traditions have always asked people to keep on the body rather than on a shelf, in a bangle, a pendant or a worn pebble in a pocket. Hold it when you want to slow a decision down rather than speed it up. Keep a piece somewhere the household passes daily for a calm, settled atmosphere, and give it as a gift meant to last, which is the use it has been put to for most of its history.
Cleansing & care
Jade is tough and takes a brief rinse under cool running water without complaint. Avoid hot water, steam and ultrasonic cleaners: any jadeite that has been bleached and resin filled (trade grade B) will cloud or craze, and you cannot always tell by eye that a piece has been treated. Skip salt and household chemicals. A soft cloth and moonlight are enough.
Questions & answers
Two. Nephrite and jadeite are unrelated minerals that were both called jade until 1863, and both are still correctly called jade today. Jadeite is rarer, denser and usually the expensive one.
