The Blog
Nephrite Jade Grading
Discover the intricate world of grading nephrite jade in this informative video. Join Adam, our expert, as he unveils the secrets of evaluating color, clarity, and texture, providing valuable insights for jade enthusiasts and collectors.
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The Colors of BC Jade
Jade exists in one color only throughout all of British Columbia, Canada. That color is green. "Mutton Fat Jade" as some call it from the Fraser River is in fact not jade. It is sillimanite.
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3 Types of Inclusions in Jade
There are three types of inclusions in Nephrite Jade. Calcite, Iron concentrations, and Chromium.
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Where Does Jade Come From?
We mine jade two different ways. The main one is In-Situ, taking it directly from its formation on the mountain. The other is taking it from the valley where they were pushed into by glaciers. This second type are known as erratics.
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Why Use a Light on Jade?
Most people I see using a Gem Torch/ Light on Jade are doing so for the wrong reasons. An led light will give a false sense of jade color because of the Lumen Level, meaning the "hot or coldness" of the light. Another way to consider this is the kelvin level. A light is in fact used to see inclusions, not color.
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Weathering of Jade
Freeze thaw action causes the mottling of colors in Jade. Weathering, in short, slowly permeates the stone causing discoloration.
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Identifying Grain Structure and Scaling on Jade
Jade is a fibrous stone. Without enough metamorphic heat and pressure, the process does not fully laminate the boulder. Learning to distinguish the signs of good vs poor lamination, as well as grain direction will help you become a better carver.
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Cross Cutting Jade; What Happens?
Poor quality jade should be cut with the grain. The better the jade gets, the less that matters. Top quality jade can be gauged by how well it holds a "knife edge" during cross cutting.
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Does Jade Have Matrix?
On many other varieties of rock, you'll see matrix, also known as "host rock". It is often bland and not of gem grade. Usually it is rhyolite or basalt for most gemstones. Fossils are at times in a limestone base. So, where is the host rock on Jade?
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Does A Jade Boulder Have A Crystal Structure?
Gemstones often form with crystal habits. Visually, we can see flat planes, prismatic terminations, and generally recognize it as having a geometric shape. But what about Jade?
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Windowing Jade
"Windowing" is a gemology term used to describe the action of creating visibility into a gemstone. It most often has to do with eliminating host rock, dirt, weathering or any material that impedes viewing the true nature of the gemstone. Windowing is done to help assess yield.
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Is It Really A Good Boulder?
To be fair to ourselves and customers, we try to window every stone. This allows us all to have an accurate representation of whats going on inside the rock. But, what happens when the window does a disservice to the boulder?
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Carving Blocks
Jade is known as a carving stone. Because of this, Nephrite is cut into carving blocks. No other gemstone is pre-processed in this way.
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