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Natural inorganic gem materials · Commercial / trade name · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Jixue Yu
A quartzose jade trade name, “Jixue Yu”, listed in Table A.1 of Annex A of GB/T 34098-2017. The table puts it in one merged cell with other trade names and does not map it to a single basic name: quartzose jade, quartzite jade, chalcedony, agate or jasper.
It is not the same material as “chicken-blood stone” (GB/T 16553 §5.2.30.2). This page compares how the major standards and institutions name it, what must be disclosed when selling it, whether it can be worn every day, how it is treated and identified, and which source each conclusion comes from.
Price, rarity and origin are outside the scope of this wiki.
What this page can answer
This page covers
- How Jixue Yu forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale; where its colour and optical effects come from, each finding graded and sourced
- Caring for and wearing Jixue YuCleaning, heat, chemicals and light, as the cited sources give them; durability indicators and wearing advice
- Hardness, density and refractive index of Jixue YuEach value with its source and check date
- Jixue Yu in English, Chinese and Japanese; national standard namesNames in four languages, the GB/T standard name and the suggested listing name; and: Has any of GIA, FTC, CIBJO or Gem-A put a name for it on record here?
- Name origin and history of Jixue YuWhere the name comes from
- Listing and disclosing Jixue YuThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
What we cannot conclude
- Whether one particular bead is natural, treated or synthetic — only a laboratory report can settle that.
- Geographic origin, unless an origin report accompanies the item.
- Price, rarity or investment value: this wiki covers naming and disclosure only.
Material research: formation, causes and history
What authoritative sources say about how this material forms, what causes its colour and optical effects, where its name comes from and how people have used it. Each statement carries an evidence grade and its sources; it describes the material in general, not any specific piece.
How it forms
Jixue Yu is a commodity/locality trade name for quartzose jade whose parent material is quartz/chalcedony (SiO2). Quartzose jade can form where silica-rich fluids fill rock cavities cyclically from rim to center, producing banded chalcedony and, at the center, macrocrystalline quartz. The 'chicken-blood' element of the name refers to a red appearance, and red in quartz/chalcedony can commonly be caused by iron-bearing compounds such as hematite and goethite or by other colorants; however, the name alone does not establish whether the red colorant is hematite, an iron oxide, cinnabar (HgS, a mercury sulfide), or any other specific mineral — the red color cause requires testing.
Scope: Applies to explaining the origin of the underlying material (quartz / chalcedony) referred to by the quartzose jade trade name 'Jixue Yu', and makes clear that the red colouring agent cannot be determined from the name alone; does not constitute an identification conclusion on the red colour origin or locality of a specific sample.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy · GIA Jade Description
Where it forms
A setting where silica-rich fluids fill rock cavities/fractures (volcanic vesicles, vugs, geodes, etc.)
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Red may arise where iron-oxide and similar colorants are enriched, but this is a possible cause, not an established fact of the name
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
How it forms, step by step
Silica-bearing fluids migrate and penetrate rock cavities.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
The fluids fill cyclically from rim to center, forming banded chalcedony.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Macrocrystalline quartz crystallizes at the center, building the quartzose jade body.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Red colorants (e.g., iron-bearing compounds) may be enriched during this process — but the specific colorant requires testing and the name cannot establish it.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Link to appearance
Quartzose jade may appear as a semi-translucent to opaque mass, and its red zones owe their look to contained colorants or inclusions; this record does not assert whether the red of Jixue Yu is due to hematite, iron oxide, or cinnabar (HgS), which requires testing.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy · GIA Jade Description
Timescale
The sources give no absolute age for Jixue Yu or its parent material.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy · GIA Jade Description
Related base materials
- Quartzose jade (quartz/chalcedony): Jixue yu is a commercial/origin trade name for quartzose jade; the underlying material is quartz/chalcedony (SiO2), not an independent mineral species; the 'blood' (xue) in the name refers to its red appearance, not to a specific colouring mineral.
Supporting findings
Quartzose jade can form where silica-rich fluids fill rock cavities cyclically from rim to center, producing banded chalcedony and central macrocrystalline quartz.
Evidence grade AScope: Generic formation of the parent material (quartz/chalcedony); not unique to the name Jixue Yu.
Quartz occurs in hydrothermal veins (epithermal to alpine), is characteristic of granites and granite pegmatites, and occurs in sandstones and quartzites.
Evidence grade BScope: Generic occurrence of quartz; not the occurrence of any specific Jixue Yu locality.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Recorded localities
Authoritative sources list the localities below; the list is not exhaustive.
Asia
- Longsheng County, Guilin, Guangxi, ChinaDefinition of 'Guilin chicken-blood jade' in a group standard
These are localities recorded by authoritative sources, not an origin finding for any individual piece. The CIBJO Gemstone Book (2022, §4.2.3) says a place of origin names where a gem was mined or harvested, is a matter of opinion, does not imply a level of quality, and that cutting, processing or exporting centres must not be used to imply origin. See the origin determination guide and the overview of recorded localities.
Causes of colour and optical effects
In quartz/chalcedony, red can be caused by iron-bearing compounds such as hematite and goethite; however, the trade name 'Jixue Yu' does not establish that its red colorant is hematite, an iron oxide, cinnabar (HgS), or any other specific mineral, and the red color cause requires testing.
Evidence grade BScope: States one possible cause of red in quartz/chalcedony and explicitly refuses to infer the colorant from the name; no provenance judgment.
Sources G&G Fall 2013 · Handbook of Mineralogy
Where the name comes from
The origin of the trade name "Jixue Yu" itself is not given in the cited sources. The etymologies below belong to its underlying/constituent minerals: hematite's name comes from a Greek word for 'blood', pointing to its colour; quartz is of murky origin — the term dates from the Middle Ages and was first used for the gangue of Saxony, Germany. These etymologies belong to the underlying/constituent minerals, not to the name "Jixue Yu" itself.
Evidence grade BScope: The etymology explains only the origin of the name; it does not establish the material's composition, locality, naturalness, or treatment.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Other research findings
The 'chicken-blood' element of the name is an appearance/commodity descriptor, not a mineral identity, and it cannot imply that the red colorant is cinnabar; the word 'jade' has historically been misapplied to many jade-like materials.
Evidence grade BScope: Separates name and appearance from mineral identity; explicitly bars inferring a cinnabar colorant from the name.
Sources GIA Jade Description
The parent material of quartzose jade is silicon dioxide (SiO2), which may contain traces of other elements.
Evidence grade BScope: Parent-material composition; makes no assertion about a specific specimen's trace or coloring elements.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- GB/T 34098-2017 and GB/T 16552-2017 are recommended (non-mandatory) national standards whose full text is not freely obtainable; the official free preview does not cover them. This record could not verify their clause text, so it makes no assertion about the specific classification, entry, or table position of this locality trade name in those standards.
- None of the cited sources identifies the red colorant specifically for Jixue Yu; this entry does not assert hematite, an iron oxide, or cinnabar (HgS, a mercury sulfide), and the red color cause requires testing.
- The sources give no absolute age for Jixue Yu or its parent material.
Methodology
- Origin determination and its limits
- Quality grading and value factors
- How gemmology became a technical discipline
Evidence grades
- A
- Standards bodies, government geological surveys, peer-reviewed research and museum records
- B
- Institutional educational material
- C
- Specialist databases or cautious readings
A statement is never graded above its strongest source.
This section is LumaLark's own factual restatement of public authoritative sources, credited item by item; it contains no verbatim excerpts, images or third-party logos.
DecideListing name, disclosure, care and treatments
- Suggested listing name
- Quartzose jade (trade name: Jixue Yu)
GB/T 34098—2017 Table A.1, §6 b) · GB/T 16553—2017 §5.2.30.2
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Related:Disclosure and cautions
This page cannot answer
Natural? · Origin · Price
A lab report settles these; this wiki covers naming and disclosure.
Related:What this page can answer
Answer at a glance
"Jixue Yu" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name. Actual material is unverified.
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Quartzose jade (trade name: Jixue Yu)" and any disclosed treatments on this page, and ask the seller for a grading report if in doubt.
Known uncertainty
- This entry's exact material identity is not fully settled.
- See “Disclosure and cautions” above
- Last reviewed
- 2026-09-26
Trade-name ruling
- Trade name rather than a mineralogical species name.
- Actual material is unverified.
- Suggested listing name
- Quartzose jade (trade name: Jixue Yu)
Care and wear
Care
Jixue Yu — care (heat): The standard says Guilin chicken-blood jade should not be exposed to abrupt swings between hot and cold.
T/GXAS 1082—2025
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- T/GXAS 1082—2025, Guilin Chicken-blood Jade (group standard of the Guangxi Standardization Association; issued 2025-08-01, effective 2025-08-07): Clause 9, transport, storage and maintenance (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Jixue Yu — care (chemicals): The standard says Guilin chicken-blood jade should not contact corrosive products, naming bleach, disinfectants and food seasonings as examples.
T/GXAS 1082—2025
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- T/GXAS 1082—2025, Guilin Chicken-blood Jade (group standard of the Guangxi Standardization Association; issued 2025-08-01, effective 2025-08-07): Clause 9, transport, storage and maintenance (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
care (storage)2 sources compared
Jixue Yu — care (storage): the study reports that some Guilin chicken-blood jade ornaments, over time in ordinary wear and storage, develop cotton-like whitening, paler colour and lower transparency.
Journal of Gems & Gemmology (Sun et al., 2024)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Jixue Yu — care (storage): This group standard says Guilin chicken-blood jade should be kept indoors, away from high heat, direct sun and any corrosive substances or fumes.
T/GXAS 1082—2025
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- T/GXAS 1082—2025, Guilin Chicken-blood Jade (group standard of the Guangxi Standardization Association; issued 2025-08-01, effective 2025-08-07): Clause 9, transport, storage and maintenance (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
care (wear)2 sources compared
Jixue Yu — care (wear): the authors consider it likely, though not proven, that this comes from loss of adsorbed water loosening the structure, and state the change is reversible.
Journal of Gems & Gemmology (Sun et al., 2024)
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Jixue Yu — care (wear): the standard tells owners to keep Guilin chicken-blood jade from being scratched by hard objects; according to the standard, when the lustre of Guilin chicken-blood jade changes it may be treated with colourless wax or oil, and repolished if needed; for transport the standard calls for gentle loading and unloading and protection from pressure, impact, vibration, sun and rain.
T/GXAS 1082—2025
- Treatment state
- any treatment state
Source & check 2026-10-06
- Source
- T/GXAS 1082—2025, Guilin Chicken-blood Jade (group standard of the Guangxi Standardization Association; issued 2025-08-01, effective 2025-08-07): Clause 9, transport, storage and maintenance (locator checked 2026-10-06)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-10-06
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Common care questions and matching entries
Each question links to the matching entries on this page; whether they answer it fully, go by the entry wording.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
Durability and wearing
Numbers in curly braces, such as {111}, are crystallographic face symbols (Miller indices): each marks a set of crystal faces or cleavage planes. They are reproduced as written in the cited source.
Toughness
Brittle; elastic in thin laminae
Cleavage
Parting on {0001} and {1011} due to twinning
Fracture
Uneven to subconchoidal
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Trade and mineralogical namesJixue Yu is a trade name for quartz jade listed in GB/T 34098—2017 Table A.1, and is not used on its own; in GB/T 34098—2017 Table A.1 it shares a position with quartzite jade, chalcedony, agate and jasper, and the original does not specify which of these it is, so the basic name must first be determined by identification and then followed by the note trade name: Jixue Yu. Recommended listing nameThe suggested listing name is quartz jade (trade name: Jixue Yu). Trade and mineralogical namesIts identity tier is commercial/trade name; the mineralogical name refers to quartz jade sold under the trade name Jixue Yu (GB/T 34098—2017 Table A.1). Names in four languagesNames are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Jixue Yu) and Japanese (pending verification); Japan's GSJ wording for the Japanese form is not yet verified by this site. Institution usageOn authority wording, the FTC and CIBJO texts on file have no wording for this name (checked), and GIA and Gem-A are unchecked; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name Jixue Yu, which does not represent their position.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 鶏血玉（待核） (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Trade name listed in the GB/T standard (not used on its own)
- 鸡血玉 (GB/T 34098—2017 Table A.1; basic name not specified in the original — identify the material first)
- Mineralogical name
- Quartzose jade sold under the trade name Jixue Yu (GB/T 34098 Table A.1)
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 鸡血玉
- 繁體中文
- 雞血玉
- English
- Jixue Yu
- 日本語
- 鶏血玉（待核）
GB/T 34098 trade names
- Position in Table A.1
- 鸡血玉 Jixue Yu sits in the cell shared by quartzite jade, chalcedony, agate and jasper; the original does not say which one
- How to name it
- The original gives no basic name: identify the material first, then add the note “trade name: 鸡血玉 Jixue Yu”
The full table and naming rule are on the Quartzose Jade page.
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Quartz and chalcedony materials
- Identity tier
- Commercial / trade name
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
What it is and how it's identified
The registered material facts for Jixue Yu include Mohs hardness, density and refractive index, all taken from quartzose jade as a whole class, not measured on Jixue Yu alone; chemical composition is given for quartzose jade as a whole class in the material facts on the Quartzose Jade entry. The Mohs hardness of Jixue Yu is 6–7, taken from quartzose jade as a whole class; GB/T 34098—2017 notes that Mohs hardness may sometimes be below 6–7, as low as 5.5; the site note explains that hardness alone does not amount to any advice on everyday wear. The density of Jixue Yu is 2.53–2.72 g/cm³, taken from quartzose jade as a whole class; GB/T 34098—2017 notes that density may sometimes fall outside 2.53–2.72 g/cm³, as low as 2.48 g/cm³ and as high as 2.95 g/cm³; the site note explains that the registered value is the main range and cannot be treated as a threshold for determining the identity of the material. The refractive index of Jixue Yu is 1.53–1.55, taken from quartzose jade as a whole class.
Registered material facts
Each row carries its own source and check date and can be cited on its own; “—” means the cited source gives no value, not “none”.
Chemical composition: these whole-class features are given in the cited clause for quartzose jade (the whole class), so they are not repeated on the Jixue Yu page; see the material facts on the Quartzose Jade entry.
Items below that name the class they cover give the cited clause’s value for that whole class, not a measurement of Jixue Yu (how to read class-level values).
Durability
Jixue Yu — Mohs hardness: 6–7
GB/T 34098—2017
Reference points on this site: Talc 1–3, Fluorite 4, Apatite 5–5.5, Orthoclase 6–6.5, Topaz 8, Diamond 10 (Source: GB/T 16553—2017); Gypsum 1.5–2, Calcite 3, Quartz 7 (Source: Handbook of Mineralogy); Corundum 9 (Source: GIA Gem Encyclopedia (care guide))
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- quartzose jade (the whole class)
- Qualification
GB/T 34098-2017 §3.1 notes that hardness may sometimes fall to 5.5. Hardness alone does not support any everyday-wear advice.
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 34098—2017 Quartzose jade — Classification and nomenclature (GB/T): §3.1 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Physical properties
Jixue Yu — density: 2.53–2.72 g/cm³
GB/T 34098—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- quartzose jade (the whole class)
- Qualification
GB/T 34098-2017 §3.1 notes that values may sometimes fall to 2.48 or rise to 2.95 g/cm³. The registered range is the main range, not a cut-off for identifying the material.
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 34098—2017 Quartzose jade — Classification and nomenclature (GB/T): §3.1 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Optical
Jixue Yu — refractive index: 1.53–1.55
GB/T 34098—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- What this covers
- quartzose jade (the whole class)
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 34098—2017 Quartzose jade — Classification and nomenclature (GB/T): §3.1 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
This material (RI / SG midpoints): 1.54 / 2.62; Closest values: 1Charoite 1.554 / 2.66, 2Changhua Stone 1.56 / 2.6, 3Balin Stone 1.56 / 2.55, 4Shoushan Stone 1.56 / 2.7, 5Bamboo Coral 1.57 / 2.65
Show the full chart (330 registered materials)
Outside the full chart's range, drawn as triangles at the edge (RI / SG midpoints): Hematite 3.045/5.12, Synthetic Rutile 2.76/4.26, Rutile 2.753/4.23, Synthetic Moissanite 2.67/3.22
Evidence and sources
Authority basis and clause sources
Sources
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. Gemmological Laboratories Book (Blue Book), Gemmological Commission 2024-1.
- CIBJO – The World Jewellery Confederation. The Gemstone Book (Blue Book), 2022.
- AQSIQ / SAC (China). GB/T 34098—2017 Quartzose jade — Classification and nomenclature.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- eCFR (United States). 16 CFR Part 23 — Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries.
Further reading
Related entries and topic cluster
Parent entry and related pages on this site. Rows marked “Planned” are suggested new content and have no link yet.
Related-entry tree for Quartz on this site: 74 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Jixue Yu) is marked.
- Quartz
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- Agate
Sub-entries (1)
- Amethyst
- Ametrine
- Aventurine Quartz
- Aventurine Quartz / Green Aventurine
- Banded Agate
- Black Agate
- Bloodstone / Heliotrope
- Blue Lace Agate
- Carnelian
- Chalcedony
Sub-entries (2)
- Chrysoprase
- Citrine
- Clear Quartz / Rock Crystal
- Coated Quartz
- Colourless to White Quartz (brand name: Azeztulite)
- Crazy Lace Agate
- Dendritic Agate
- Dyed Agate (Treated: dyed)
- Elestial Quartz / Skeletal Quartz
- Eye Agate
- Flower Agate / Cherry Blossom Agate
- Green Quartz
- High-clarity quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Included Quartz
- Jasper
Sub-entries (1)
- Madeira Citrine
- Malachite Agate
- Morion / very dark Smoky Quartz
- Moss Agate
- Moss Chalcedony
- Multi-inclusion Quartz
- Onyx (banded chalcedony)
- Phantom Quartz
- Prase
- Prasiolite / Green Quartz
- Quartz Cat’s-eye
- Quartz claimed to be from the Himalayas
- Quartz Crystal
- Quartz with dark needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with fine fibrous inclusions
- Quartz with flower-like inclusions
- Quartz with golden needle-like inclusions
- Quartz with green needle-like inclusions
- Quartzite Jade
- Quartzose Jade
Sub-entries (9)
- Red Agate
- Rock Crystal
- Rose Quartz
- Rutilated Quartz
- Sard
- Sardonyx
- Silicified Asbestos
Sub-entries (2)
- Hawk’s Eye
- Tiger’s Eye
Sub-entries (1)
- Smoky Quartz
- Smoky Quartz (brown variety)
- Strawberry Quartz
- Yellow-green Quartz
- Agate
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Quartz and chalcedony materials | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Jixue Yu entry are maintained by the LumaLark wiki and matched one by one to the standard clauses or institutional sources they cite: every fact carries its source (with a clause or page locator) and a check date, so it can be traced back to the original. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.