jade
TRANSCRIPT
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JADE (JADEITE, NEPHRITE) DEPOSITS
Jade is the gem name for mineral aggregates
composed of either or both of two different
minerals, Jadeite and Nephrite. Jadeite is a
sodium-rich aluminous pyroxene; nephrite is a
fine-grained, calcium-rich, magnesium, iron,
aluminous amphibole. All jade is composed of fine-
grained, highly intergrown, interlocking crystals of
one or both of these minerals. Though neither
mineral is very hard (6-7), jade is one of the
toughest gem minerals known because of the
intergrown nature of the individual crystals.
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Most jade on the market is composed of nephrite; jadeite
jade is quite rare and in its emerald-green, translucent
form is referred to as Imperial Jade or "gem jade". A
small amount of Cr in jadeite accounts for the color of
imperial jade. Other color-based names for jadeite jade
are Yunan Jade, for a uniquely appearing dark green,
semitranslucent jade, Apple Jade for apple (yellowish
green) green jade, and Moss-in-Snow for white jade with
v i v i d g r e e n s p o t s a n d s t r e a k s.
Nephrite and jadeite jade ranges in color from a
somewhat greasy-appearing, white ("mutton fat jade") to
dark and light shades of green, gray, blue-green,
lavender, yellow, orange, brown, reddish-brown, and
black. An important dark green variety of nephrite is
sometimes known as "spinach jade". The chromophore
in all nephrite jades is usually Fe. Nephrite jade is
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The name jade has been, and continues to be,
applied to a variety of materials that superficially or
closely resemble jade but are not composed of
either jadeite or nephrite. Some of the problem can
undoubtedly be traced to cultural and historical
differences in word usage. In China, for example, the
word jade has traditionally been applied not only to
nephrite and jadeite jade, but to green serpentine
and soapstone (talc) whose appearance closely
resemble true jade. Common misnomers and the
materials they represent are: "Korean" Jade for
serpentine or gem serpentine (bowenite), "Indian"
Jade for aventurine, "Mexican Jade" for green-dyed
calcite, "Transvaal Jade" for green hydrogrossular
garnet, "Amazon or Colorado Jade" for amazonite
(blue-green or green) feldspar and "Oregon or Swiss
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Jadeite is a mineral that is restricted in occurrence
to certain metamorphic rocks that have undergone
metamorphism at high pressures but relatively low
temperatures. Jadeite jade is found exclusively as
nodular or lens-shaped masses in serpentinite.
Nephrite jade , which is also a product of
metamorphism (and fluid infiltration), does not
apparently require the very special P-T conditions of
jadeite and is much more widespread. It is also
found in association with serpentinite in all known
localities. Because of its extreme toughness in
contrast to the weaker material i t forms in
(serpentine), jade is nearly always found as
weathered boulders and cobbles in stream deposits
o r g l a c i a l s e d i m e n t.
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Historically and presently important jade producing
localities are:Burma, near Tawmaw and Hpakon
Turkestan (central Asia between Iran and Siberia)
Canada, British Columbia Southern Frazier River
drainage,
USA.,Wyoming, near Lander; since 1936 , Alaska,
in Kobuk
River Watershed at Jade Mountain
New Zealand, South Island
Others: Poland (white nephrite); Taiwan; Monterey
Co.,
California (poor quality jadeite); Guatemala
(green
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While jadeite is mined today primarily in Myanmar,
small quantities can be found in Guatemala.
Although neolithic jadeite axes were found in
Europe, it is not known where this prehistoric jadeite
was mined, although it is possible that the material
c a m e f r o m a d e p o s i t i n t h e A l p s.
Nephrite is mined in Canada, Australia, the United
S t a t e s , a n d T a i w a n.
http://www.highestoffer.com/jade.html
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The Emerald Buddha, the sacred image that is
enshrined at Wat Phra Kaeo in Bangkok, Thailand,
was carved from a solid block of beautiful green
j a d e i t e.http://www.escati.com/emerald_buddha.htm
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The ancient jade carved in China was what we today
cal l nephrite jade: an amphibol i te minera l .
(Interestingly enough, the word nephrite comes from
the Greek word for kidney, nephros, a bit more
scholarly version of the same thing.) In the 19th
Century , it was discovered that the material from the
new world was not the same mineral as the jade from
China. The mineral from Central America, a pyroxene,
was called jadeite to distinguish it from the The
Chinese knew about jadeite, travelers had brought
back some jadeite from Burma as early as the
thirteenth century. But China was turning inward at
that time and this foreign Kingfisher Stone, as they
called it, referring to the brightly colored feathers of
the bird, was not considered to be real jade. It only
became popular in the eighteenth and nineteenth
http://www.highestoffer.com/jade.html
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Although nephrite jade is
China’s original “Stone of
Heaven,” fine jadeite, as in
this matched pair of semi-
transparent bangles (53.4
mm in interior diameter,
9.8 mm thick), is the most
sought-after of jades in the
Chinese community today.
http://www.palagems.com/
burma_jade.htm
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Map of Upper Burma showing
the jade mines in the far north.
Maw-sit-sit is mined in the
v i c i n i t y o f H p a k a n.
(Courtesy of Richard Hughes)
JADE AND MAW-SIT-SIT OF
MYANMAR
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JADEITE
variety Imperial Jade
Na(Al,Fe)Si2O6
Tawmaw, Myanmar
Translucent bright green jadeite, called imperial jade, is
among the most highly prized of all jades. Jade is an
excellent material for carving because of its extreme
t o u g h n e s s.
Size / Weight: 42x22x3 mm / 25.11 carats
http://www.nhm.org/research/minsci/
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Portions of this article originally appeared in Gems &
Gemology, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 2–26.
http://www.palagems.com/burma_jade.htm
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A “cousin” to jade, maw-sit-sit isan attractive ornamental stone thatis an intergrowth mainly of albite,clinochlore, kosmochlor, chromianjadei te , and eckermanni t icamphibole. These two maw-sit-sitcabochons weigh 9.87 ct (oval)a n d 8.48 c t.
An uncut jade cobble of Burma.
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G e m o l o g y
Maw-sit-sit may be distinguished
from jadeite and nephrite by its
appearance as well as its physical
and optical properties. It has a
refractive index that ranges from
1.52 (most common) to 1.74 (least
common) depen d ing on the
aggregate mineral composition. The
density is therefore also somewhat
variable, falling between 2.5–
3.5g/cm3. Most cutters agree that
the hardness falls between 6 and 7
on the Mohs’ hardness scale.
Rough and cut maw-sit-sit
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Dr. Vince Manson, of the GIA, first suggested in 1979
(based on unpublished data) that maw-sit-sit might contain
ureyite, which is a sodium chromium pyroxene
(NaCrSi206) where chromium (Cr) replaces aluminum (Al)
in the chemical composition. Ureyite, which was named in
honor of Professor H.C. Urey, is today properly termed
kosmochlore. The name kosmochlore (green from outer
space) is derived from the fact that it was originally found
only in meteorites. Dr. Henri Hanni, of the SSEF, in Basel
Switzerland, noted in 1986 (based on unpublished data)
that maw-sit-sit is composed of six main components.
They are as follows: chromite, ureyite, chrome-jadeite,
symplektite, chrome amphibole, and a matrix of lighter
m i n e r a l s.
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M A W - S I T - S I T : G e o l o g y & m i n i n g
Maw-sit-sit is an aggregate of numerous minerals found in
the famous jade mining region of Tawmaw in the
Himalayan foothills of northwestern Burma. This small
mining area lies approximately half a mile northwest of
the village of Namshamaw. The maw-sit-sit mining area
is found in part of what is known as the Namshamaw
dike. Maw-sit-sit, like the jadeite found in this region was
formed due to high pressure regional metamorphism. This
region lies on a plateau at an elevation of approximately
3000 feet within the Uru river drainage basin.
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Maw-sit-sit is a byproduct of jadeite mining and is
quite rare in comparison to jade. The mining
techniques used today are similar to those
employed three decades ago when Dr. Gubelin
first stumbled upon the unique gem material, with
the exception of modern machinery used to
excavate and tunnel through the thick overburden.
Production has increased recently with demand,
however, fine quality maw-sit-sit remains difficult
t o a c q u i r e.
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There are actually two types of maw-sit-sit being
found:
• Maw-sit-sit – the rich green hue with a
medium tone containing contrasting black streaks
or spots.
• Kyet Tayoe – the lighter apple green hue with a
fainter tone containing little or no black streaks or
spots.
Of the two, maw-sit-sit is certainly more
attractive. Until demand increases, it will be
difficult to determine the potential supply but thus
far it seems to still be quite a rare occurrence.
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Sketch map
of Upper
Burma,
showing
the route to
the jade
mines at
Hpakan.
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Routes into Hpakan are virtually impassable during the
rainy season.
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At the Ka Htan West mine,
located between Lonkin and
Tawmaw, large peridotite
boulders can be seen at the
base of this 15-m-high wall of
Uru Boulder Conglomerate.
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In some areas at Tawmaw,
miners must dig deep shafts
through the overburden to
reach the jadeite dikes. Dirt
and gravel are removed by
a rudimentary winch-and-
b u c k e t s y s t e m.
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Once a dike is exposed at Tawmaw, jackhammers are needed
to break the jadeite apart.
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Mining of the Uru conglomerate is done in step-like claims approximately 5 m wide that were originally separated by thin “walls.”
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At Mamon and Maw-sisa inparticular, miners takeadvantage of the seasonswhen the river is high todive for jade. While a manon land or a raft works thecrude air pump (whichresembles four bicyclepumps strapped together),this diver at Maw-sisasearches the river bottomfor jade with the hosebetween his teeth (inset).
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At Nansibon, backhoes are
used to work the serpentinite
boulder conglomerate in
which jadeite boulders occur
i n n a r r o w h o r i z o n t a l
c o n c e n t r a t i o n s.
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Thousands of workers removethe dirt and gravel at Hpakangyito reach the Uru Conglomerateand its promise of fine jadeite.Using the most rudimentary ofcarrying devices – two crudelyfashioned bamboo buckets –this young miner leads a trail oflaborers up the steep path fromthe bottom of the pit to a truckthat will carry the waste to ther i v e r.
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The color of luck
Miner with jade at the Uru
River tailings dump in the
center of Hpakan.
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Top centre: This jadeite boulder shows the relatively thin skin andpotentially good color that is usually associated with “river jade.” Althoughfrom the outside this appears to be a normal jadeite boulder, oxidants thatentered through cracks on the surface have produced a large area ofdiscoloration. Bottom left: Note the thick yellow “mist” around the jadeitein this boulder of “mountain jade.” Right: A key advantage to jadeitetaken from in situ deposits is that the quality of the material is readilya p p a r e n t.
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The color of money
Examining jadeite in
Hpakan.
Leaving Las Vegas
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A room with a view
U Tin Ngwe, who went
from taxi driver to jade
k i n g p i n a l m o s t
overnight, stands atop a
small fortune of jade at
h i s H p a k a n h o m e.
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In Mandalay, cutters still
use a board coated with a
mixture of carborundum
(of various grits) and hard
wax to shape cabochons.
They then polish jadeite
on bamboo lathes, often
without any abras ive
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The Golden Hand
To get a better idea
of the quality of
color in this boulder,
the dealer places a
metal plate at the far
side of a small area
with potential and
then uses a penlight
to i l luminate i t..
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“Windows” cut into
t h i s o t h e r w i s e
u n d i s t i n g u i s h e d
b o u l d e r f r o m t h e
Burma Jade Tract
reveal the presence of
a rich green in the
jadeite beneath the
skin. Boulders such as
this are the source of
the fine green, orange-
red , and lavender
cabochons that are
much sought-after in
China and elsewhere.
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In sawing jadeite boulders, center saw cuts (left) run the risk of cutting through avaluable area. A better method (right) involves making shallow saw cuts from oneend (perhaps the thickness of a bangle, so that each slice can be used forbangles/cabs) until one hits good color. Then the process is repeated from theopposite end, again until good color is encountered. This defines the region of top-grade material. The process is repeated until the area of best color is isolated. Thesecross-sections also illustrate a show point and an oxidation stain penetrating thej a d e i t e t h r o u g h a c r a c k.
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Vendors workthe morningjadeite marketin Mandalay.
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Foreign buyers examine rough jadeite at the 1992 gem emporium at
Rangoon’s Inya Lake Hotel. Such emporiums were once the only legal
way to do business in Burma, but today trading is possible via licensed
p r i v a t e g e m d e a l e r s.