Jadeite Identification Guide
How to identify jadeite, the rarer and harder true jade, by its hardness, high density, granular texture, and separation from nephrite and imitations.
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What Jadeite Looks Like
Jadeite is a sodium-aluminum pyroxene and the rarer, more valuable of the two true jades. It is prized for vivid 'imperial' emerald-green but occurs in white, lavender, yellow, orange, blue-grey, and black. Its microstructure is interlocking granular crystals, giving great toughness and the ability to take a brilliant polish.
- Color: emerald-green (chromium), apple-green, white, lavender, yellow-orange, black; often mottled
- Luster: vitreous to greasy; polishes to a glassy 'dimpled' surface
- Transparency: translucent to nearly opaque; the finest is semi-transparent
- Form: massive aggregate; under magnification shows a granular, sugary texture
Step-by-Step Field-ID Checklist
- Assess toughness and luster. Jadeite resists chipping and shows a slightly greasy-to-glassy sheen.
- Check the surface under magnification. Polished jadeite often shows a characteristic 'orange-peel' or dimpled texture from differential hardness of grains.
- Hardness test: Mohs 6.5–7 — scratches glass and resists a steel knife.
- Weigh it. High specific gravity (~3.30–3.38) makes jadeite feel dense — heavier than nephrite or serpentine.
- Look at color distribution. Natural jadeite color is often patchy/veined; suspiciously even, vivid color may indicate dye.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: 6.5–7
- Streak: white
- Cleavage: good prismatic cleavage in single crystals, but the massive aggregate fractures granularly
- Specific gravity: 3.30–3.38 — a key separator from nephrite (~2.95)
- Refractive index: ~1.66 (spot reading), higher than nephrite
- No acid reaction; not magnetic
- Chelsea filter / spectroscope: helps flag dyed green jadeite; FTIR confirms polymer impregnation
Common Look-Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Nephrite: lower density (~2.95 vs ~3.3) and slightly softer; nephrite is more fibrous/felted, jadeite more granular. SG is the cleanest field separator.
- Serpentine: much softer (2.5–4), lighter, scratches easily.
- Dyed jadeite ('C-jade'): color pools in fractures; a Chelsea filter or spectroscope shows the dye's chromium-like response differently from natural chromium green.
- 'B-jade' (bleached + polymer): resinous luster, may show network of bleach-etched cracks; confirmed by FTIR.
- Hydrogrossular garnet, chrysoprase, green glass: garnet is denser and spotted, chrysoprase is pure chalcedony (no granular jade texture), glass has bubbles.
Where Jadeite Is Found
The world's premier source is Myanmar (the Kachin/Hpakant jade tracts), supplying nearly all gem-grade imperial jadeite. Other deposits occur in Guatemala (Motagua Valley), Russia (Polar Urals), Japan (Itoigawa), and Kazakhstan. Jadeite forms under high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphism in subduction-related serpentinite mélanges.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if it's real jadeite?
Real jadeite is tough, scratches glass (Mohs 6.5–7), resists a steel knife, and is notably dense (SG ~3.3). Polished pieces often show a dimpled 'orange-peel' surface and a granular sugary texture under magnification. Lab testing confirms it and rules out dye or polymer treatment.
Jadeite vs nephrite — what's the difference?
Jadeite is a pyroxene that is harder (6.5–7), denser (SG ~3.3), and more granular, taking a glassy polish; nephrite is an amphibole that is slightly softer (6–6.5), lighter (~2.95), and more fibrous/waxy. Density is the easiest way to separate them.
What does treated jadeite look like?
Dyed jadeite shows color concentrated along fractures rather than spread evenly, while bleached-and-polymer-filled 'B-jade' has an over-glassy or resinous luster and an etched crack network. A Chelsea filter, spectroscope, or FTIR analysis exposes these treatments.
Why is jadeite more valuable than nephrite?
Jadeite is rarer, occurs in more intense and varied colors (especially translucent imperial green), and takes a higher polish. Top-quality Burmese jadeite is among the most valuable of all gemstones.
Jadeite identified by the community
Recent Jadeite specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
