On this page
UnderstandWhat it is, what people ask, how far this page goes
Natural inorganic gem materials · Rock / mineral aggregate · Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Mica Jade
A jade-like aggregate made mainly of mica-group minerals. Its basic name in GB/T 16552-2017 Table A.2 is "mica jade", and no single chemical formula can be given. 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 Mica Jade forms and what gives its colourFormation setting, process and timescale; where its colour and optical effects come from, each finding graded and sourced
- How to identify Mica JadeHow far lab testing can go
- Treatments and enhancements of Mica Jade2 registered treatments: status, stability, how common they are and identification leads
- Caring for and wearing Mica JadeDurability indicators and wearing advice
- Hardness and density of Mica JadeEach value with its source and check date
- Mica Jade 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 Mica JadeWhere the name comes from
- Listing and disclosing Mica JadeThe listing name to use; what must be disclosed before sale
- Standard clauses that define Mica JadeWhich clause defines it, each cross-checked
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
Mica-dominant jade is an ornamental/jade material composed mainly of mica-group minerals (commonly muscovite), its underlying material being mica. Muscovite is a common rock-forming mineral occurring in phyllites, schists, and gneisses, and also in granites, granite pegmatites, and aplites; it forms from other minerals under hydrothermal conditions and may be detrital or authigenic. The underlying material of mica-dominant jade therefore mainly originates from regional-metamorphic growth and hydrothermal replacement in metamorphic rocks, plus detrital/authigenic pathways.
Scope: Applies to the genesis and occurrence of the underlying mica-group minerals (represented by muscovite) of mica jade; it is not treated as a single mineral species.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Where it forms
Metamorphic rock settings such as phyllites, schists, and gneisses
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Granites, granite pegmatites, and aplites, plus hydrothermal replacement settings
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
How it forms, step by step
Under regional/contact metamorphism, other minerals convert to mica, forming foliated oriented aggregates.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Mica may also form from other minerals under hydrothermal conditions, growing by replacement along veins.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Mica may be detritally transported and deposited, or form authigenically in place.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
The mica aggregate densifies into a massive material usable as an ornamental/jade material.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Link to appearance
The appearance of mica-dominant jade depends on mica flake size and orientation: finely oriented mica aggregates have a vitreous to pearly or silky luster and may be colorless, gray, brown, green, yellow, or rose-red, with oriented flakes producing a shimmering effect.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Timescale
The cited source gives no absolute geological timescale for the formation of the underlying material.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Related base materials
- Mica (muscovite): Mica jade is a mineral aggregate dominated by mica-group minerals; its underlying material is mica
Supporting findings
A common rock-forming mineral, mica is found in gneisses, schists and phyllites, and equally in aplites, granite pegmatites and granites.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes host rock types of mica; not limited to one locality.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Under hydrothermal conditions mica may develop from other minerals, and it can be either detrital or authigenic.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes mica formation pathways; does not cover specific P-T conditions.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Causes of colour and optical effects
In thin section mica is most often colourless; elsewhere it may appear rose-red, yellow, green, brown, gray or colourless, with luster ranging from vitreous to pearly or silky.
Evidence grade BScope: Describes color and luster; does not analyze the chromophore mechanism.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Where the name comes from
The cited source gives no etymology for the trade name mica-dominant jade; the etymology belongs to its parent mineral muscovite, whose name comes from 'Muscovy glass', reflecting an occurrence in Russia's old province of Muscovy. This origin belongs to muscovite, not to the trade name.
Evidence grade BScope: The etymology explains the origin of a name only; it does not attest composition, locality, naturalness or treatment, and here belongs to the parent mineral rather than to the trade name itself.
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Limits of this research
- Research status: Formation, occurrence or other material-specific findings found in authoritative sources
- 'Mica-dominant jade' denotes a mica-rich mineral aggregate, not a single mineral species; this record describes its genesis using the underlying material muscovite as representative.
- The full text of GB/T 16552-2017 and GB/T 34098-2017 is not freely obtainable, so whether 'mica-dominant jade' is a regulated category name or any clause wording could not be verified.
- The cited source gives no absolute geological timescale for mica formation and does not quantify metamorphic/hydrothermal P-T conditions.
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
- Mica-rich ornamental rock (state the dominant mica)
GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2 “Mica Jade” · CIBJO Gemmological Laboratories Book 2024 7.1.4
Construction or treatment status
Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments recorded for this material: Filled / Fracture-filled, Coated
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
"Mica Jade" is a market name rather than a mineral species name; before using it, verify: Industry-wide term that does not denote a single species.
Evidence
- GB/T · Table A.2, row 云母质玉 (Mica Jade)
What this means for you
Before buying, check the recommended listing name "Mica-rich ornamental rock (state the dominant mica)" 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
- 2026-09-01
Trade-name ruling
- Industry-wide term that does not denote a single species.
- Suggested listing name
- Mica-rich ornamental rock (state the dominant mica)
Care and wear
No care facts are recorded for this entry itself. Its parent material has care records: see Muscovite.
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
Laminae flexible and elastic; tough
Cleavage
{001} perfect; partings on {110}, {010}
Sources Handbook of Mineralogy
Daily wear
Composed mainly of muscovite, only Mohs 2.5–4 (varying with direction relative to [001]), with perfect {001} cleavage, so it flakes apart very easily; it is a display/craft material rather than daily-wear.
Care
Wipe with a dry soft cloth and avoid rubbing, soaking and bending/flaking; never scrape with hard objects or use ultrasonic cleaning (basis: source records perfect {001} cleavage, flexible-elastic laminae and low hardness).
General guidance: LumaLark's general guidance inferred from the material's properties (hardness, toughness, cleavage); not text from the cited source, and not a guarantee for any specific piece.
Scope: This field describes the general physical properties of mica-dominant jade as a material; it makes no durability or safety promise for any specific finished product. Durability of treated (e.g. filled, dyed, coated) or assembled/composite pieces must be assessed separately for the individual item.
Treatments and identification leads
One row per treatment, with three standards side by side: how often it occurs and how stable it is (CIBJO), its category in GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1 (this site's paraphrase) and how the JJA/AGL 2025 table lists it. Each CIBJO value links to its entry under “Testing and market”, where the wording and source are given in full.
This table scrolls sideways on narrow screens.
| Treatment | Market frequency (CIBJO) | Stability (CIBJO) | GB/T 16552 category | JJA/AGL listing | Identification leads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| fillingStatus: treated | — | — | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 | — | See identification leads |
| coatingStatus: treated | — | — | Treatment | — | See identification leads |
Where each treatment acts (schematics): Filled / Fracture-filled · Coated
“—” means the cited source gives no value for that item, not “none”. Source: GB/T 16553—2017; GB/T 16552—2017 Table B.1
Whether a treatment has to show in the name differs between the two rule sets (this site’s paraphrase):
- GB/T 16552—2017: a method classed as treatment has to be stated in the name itself — the method put before the name, or added in brackets after it; a method classed as optimization does not need to appear in the name, though one marked “Optimization (annotation required)” still has to be noted in the quality documents. Source: §5.4.2.1 a), b); §5.4.2.2 a)
- CIBJO Gemstone Book 2022: no longer splits treatments into ones that need specific disclosure and ones that need only general disclosure: every treatment is to be disclosed, and the seller tells the buyer which treatment was used and what special care it calls for. Source: §4.2.5 Note 2, §4.2.5.1, pp.14–15
What this table covers
What this page can give
- Registered treatments, their stability and how often they occur (see the table above)
- Identification leads for each treatment, for use when sending a stone for testing
VerifyNames, standards, technical facts, clauses and sources
Names
Standard and listing namesThe Chinese formal name for Mica Jade comes from GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2, and the suggested listing name is Mica Jade (state the main mica). Trade and mineralogical namesMica Jade is a general trade name rather than a mineralogical species name; the mineralogical name describes a mica-dominated aggregate used as jade or ornamental material. Names in four languagesFour-language names are given in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English (Mica Jade) and Japanese; the Japanese form is the entry's own, and the wording of Japan's GSJ is not yet verified by this site. Institution usageOn authority wording, the FTC and CIBJO texts on file have no wording for Mica Jade (checked), and GIA and Gem-A are unchecked; bodies without a recorded wording show the entry's own English name, which does not represent their position. Its identity level is rock/mineral aggregate, its mineral chemistry class is silicate, and its browsing group is jade materials.
- GSJ (Japan) formal name
- 雲母質玉 (not yet checked for this body — the entry's own Japanese name is shown)
- Chinese formal name
- 云母质玉 (GB/T 16552—2017 Table A.2)
- Mineralogical name
- Mica-rich aggregate used as ornamental/jade material
Four-language names
- 简体中文
- 云母质玉
- 繁體中文
- 雲母質玉
- English
- Mica Jade
- 日本語
- 雲母質玉
See also: Misleading and prohibited trade names · Supplementary name index
Classification
- Origin
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Browsing family
- Jade materials
- Identity tier
- Rock / mineral aggregate
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
- Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown
Treatments listed by standards
For Mica Jade, the optimizations or treatments listed in the "Mica Jade" row of GB/T 16552—2017 Annex B, Table B.1 are filling and coating. Filling improves or changes durability and appearance, with its category defined by the grading clause of GB/T 16552—2017; coating improves or changes lustre, colour and other aspects of appearance, with the category treatment. What Table B.1 is, and how each grade is defined, are on this site's Gem treatments page.
GB/T 16552-2017, Annex B, Table B.1
Table B.1, row “Mica Jade” (p.17):
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| Method | Effect | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Filling | Improves or changes durability and appearance | Graded — see §5.4.1, Table 1 |
| Coating | Improves or changes lustre, colour and other aspects of appearance | Treatment |
What Table B.1 is, and how the “see 5.4.1” grades are defined: see the GB/T 16552: optimization vs treatment page.
What it is and how it's identified
The material facts registered for Mica Jade from GB/T 16553—2017 include: structure a crystalline aggregate, usually of flakes or scales; Mohs hardness 2–3, with this site noting that hardness alone is not enough to judge durability; density 2.2–3.4 g/cm³; optic character anisotropic aggregate, with birefringence not measurable for an aggregate; the infrared spectrum shows characteristic absorption bands from Si-O and other group vibrations in the mid-infrared fingerprint region and from OH vibrations in the functional-group region; chatoyancy visible but rare. In untreated Mica Jade, pleochroism is not measurable for an aggregate, luminescence is usually none, magnification shows a flaky or scaly texture and a compact massive structure, and the lustre is vitreous, pearly on cleavage surfaces.
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”.
Structure
Mica Jade — structure (overall): crystalline aggregate, usually of flakes or scales.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Durability
Mica Jade — Mohs hardness: 2–3
GB/T 16553—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
- General note
- hardness only, not durability
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Physical properties
Mica Jade — density: 2.2–3.4 g/cm³
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Optical
Mica Jade — optic character: anisotropic aggregate
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — birefringence: not measurable on an aggregate
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — pleochroism: not measurable on an aggregate
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — fluorescence (overall): generally none
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — spectrum (UV-visible): non-characteristic
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — spectrum (infrared): Si-O and similar groups vibrate to give the typical absorption bands in the fingerprint part of the mid-IR; OH vibration does the same in the functional group region.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-22
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-22)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-22
Mica Jade — optical effect (chatoyancy): seen; rare
GB/T 16553—2017
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — magnification: flaky or scaly structure, compact massive structure.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade — body colour: lepidolite: light purple, rose, lilac, sometimes white; peach-pink when it contains manganese. Lilac material is also called lilac jade. Muscovite: white, green, yellow, grey, red, brown and similar colours.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
- Qualification
In chapter 5 of GB/T 16553—2017, the colour entries of Alexandrite, Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade, Natural Glass and other variety clauses also name purple or a purplish colour.
- General note
- colour alone is not identity
Source & check 2026-09-26
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-26)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-26
- CIBJO definitions
- chatoyancy
Quality factors
Mica Jade — quality factor (lustre): vitreous; cleavage surfaces show a pearly lustre.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- untreated
- Does this standard apply
- applies to this entry
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Testing and market
How far testing can go
Mica Jade that has undergone filling can be identified by the following features: Under magnification the surface luster of the filled part differs from the host jade and gas bubbles show in the filled area; under long- and short-wave UV the filled part mostly fluoresces differently from the host jade; infrared spectra show characteristic absorption bands of the filler; luminescence imaging (UV fluorescence viewer and similar) shows how the filler is distributed.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- treated
- Does this standard apply
- can be followed as a reference only
- Treatment
- filling
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (filling) (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Mica Jade that has undergone coating can be identified by the following features: Under magnification the surface luster is abnormal and the film can be seen peeling off in places; refractive index readings may be abnormal; infrared and Raman spectra show characteristic peaks of the film.
GB/T 16553—2017
- Treatment state
- treated
- Does this standard apply
- can be followed as a reference only
- Treatment
- coating
Source & check 2026-09-21
- Source
- GB/T 16553—2017 Gems — Testing (GB/T): §5.2.38 (coating) (locator checked 2026-09-21)
- Fact checked on
- 2026-09-21
Each row's “Source & check” expands to the full source; the date beside it is the fact check date.
Clause-level definitions
The clause-level definition of Mica Jade is registered in GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A under the term Mica Jade, defined as a mica-rich aggregate used as jade; the cross-check result is that it is listed directly in GB/T, and no identically titled standalone entry was found in CIBJO.
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| Term | Clause | Definition | Cross-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mica Jade | GB/T 16552-2017 Annex A | Mica-rich aggregate used as ornamental/jade material | Listed directly by GB/T; CIBJO carries no standalone entry under the same name. |
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.
- SAMR / SAC (China). GB/T 16552—2017 Gems — Nomenclature.
- RRUFF Project, in partnership with the IMA – International Mineralogical Association. IMA Mineral List.
- Geological Survey of Japan, AIST (Japan). Museum mineral specimens, browse by classification.
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 Muscovite on this site: 2 entries listed by this site's parent-entry links; synthetic, treated and similar entries carry their recorded state after the name; this page (Mica Jade) is marked.
- Muscovite
Sub-entries (1)
- Mica Jade
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| Page | Content | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Browsing family | Jade materials | Live |
| Treatments recorded for this material | Filled / Fracture-filled, Coated | Live |
| Related articles | To be added (placeholder) | Planned |
Who maintains this page
The material facts in the Mica Jade 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; clause-level definitions also carry a cross-check result. The entry exists so that buyers and sellers can check naming, disclosure and material facts item by item.