Jade materials
Gemmological jade materials and regional standard names; jadeite jade, nephrite jade, Fei Cui and other materials misnamed as jade must be distinguished.
On this page
What this family is
Gemmological jade and the Chinese character yu do not mark the same boundary, and yu must not be translated mechanically as jade. Under GB/T 16552 the principal constituents of Fei Cui may include jadeite, omphacite and kosmochlor, while Hetian Yu falls under nephrite, and the name does not prove a Hetian origin.
Quartzite jade is neither jadeite nor nephrite. Pale greenish-white nephrite, a GB/T colour subcategory, has no internationally agreed boundary.
Scope of this family
Gemmological jade materials and regional standard names; jadeite jade, nephrite jade, Fei Cui and other materials misnamed as jade must be distinguished.
Representative members (12)
The standard materials in this family: mineral species, varieties, rocks and other materials whose name identifies what they are. Trade names are listed separately below.
Common confusions
Names in this family that do not by themselves say what the material is, and man-made or assembled products recorded against its materials. Each line says what the item actually is.
Trade names in this family
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| Name | Type of name | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| Bi Yu, Green Nephrite Variety | Commercial / trade name | A green colour sub-variety under Nephrite / Hetian Yu, corresponding to Nephrite in English; the standard Chinese name for English Jasper is a different term (see Jasper). |
| Black Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A commercial name for the black colour subvariety under Hetian Yu; the material must be confirmed by testing as tremolite–actinolite Nephrite. |
| Brown Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A brown colour sub-variety under Hetian Yu; the brown colour is mostly secondary and cannot replace evidence of the main mineral and origin. |
| Green Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A green to greyish-green colour subvariety under Hetian Yu; it cannot be named on colour alone, and origin and treatment need separate proof. |
| Pale Greenish-White Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A pale greenish-white colour subvariety under Hetian Yu; there is no internationally agreed colour boundary, and origin needs separate proof. |
| Taiwan Nephrite | Commercial / trade name | A place-of-origin trade name for nephrite from Taiwan; under GB/T 16552 §5.1.1 c) it should not be used on its own and may only appear as a note in quality documents. |
| White Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | The white color sub-variety under Hetian Yu (Nephrite); the color name cannot replace origin determination or evidence of treatment. |
| Yellow Nephrite | Trade name: colour / appearance variety | A yellow colour subvariety under Hetian Yu; a restricted usage in the Chinese standard, not the same as topaz or citrine. |
Member entries (20)
- Albite Jade
- Bi Yu, Green Nephrite Variety
- Black Nephrite
- Brown Nephrite
- Clay Minerals Jade
- Dushan Yu / Dushan Jade
- Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade
- Green Nephrite
- Hetian Yu, Brown Sugar-coloured Nephrite Variety
- Hetian Yu, Green Nephrite Variety
- Hetian Yu / Nephrite
- Jade
- Kosmochlor
- Maw-sit-sit
- Mica Jade
- Nephrite
- Pale Greenish-White Nephrite
- Taiwan Nephrite
- White Nephrite
- Yellow Nephrite
Market names not to be used as a product name
Recorded on member entries of this family. Each name links to the entry whose page explains the ruling and its source.
All misleading and prohibited trade names across the site: Misleading and prohibited trade names
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| Market name | Recorded on | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hetian Jade | Hetian Yu / Nephrite | Not to be used in any position |
| Hotan jade | Hetian Yu / Nephrite | Not to be used in any position |
| Jade | Jade | Not to be used in any position |
| Taiwan jade | Taiwan Nephrite | Annotation only, never as the product name |
Treatments recorded on member entries
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| Treatment | Member entries | Disclosure requirement |
|---|---|---|
| Heated / Heat-treated | Clay Minerals Jade, Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade | Heating is a common treatment, and acceptance varies by material. Whether heated ruby or sapphire must be declared separately depends on which code is followed (see the comparison on this page); unstable colour or foreign residues must be disclosed. |
| Filled / Fracture-filled | Bi Yu, Green Nephrite Variety, Black Nephrite, Brown Nephrite, Clay Minerals Jade, Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade, Green Nephrite, Hetian Yu, Brown Sugar-coloured Nephrite Variety, Hetian Yu, Green Nephrite Variety, Hetian Yu / Nephrite, Mica Jade, Nephrite, Pale Greenish-White Nephrite, Taiwan Nephrite, White Nephrite, Yellow Nephrite | Name the filler (resin, oil, polymer, glass or lead glass) and bear in mind that fillings can be unstable and may deteriorate or change colour over time. LMHC Information Sheet #3 treats corundum with glass in two ways: glass in fissures or cavities is still reported on natural corundum as a filling, and only a badly fractured single piece infused throughout, or small fragments bound together with glass, is reported as a manufactured product. |
| Dyed | Bi Yu, Green Nephrite Variety, Black Nephrite, Brown Nephrite, Clay Minerals Jade, Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade, Green Nephrite, Hetian Yu, Brown Sugar-coloured Nephrite Variety, Hetian Yu, Green Nephrite Variety, Hetian Yu / Nephrite, Nephrite, Pale Greenish-White Nephrite, Taiwan Nephrite, White Nephrite, Yellow Nephrite | Must be disclosed. Dye may fade, bleed or dissolve in solvents (alcohol, acetone), and dyed material must not be labelled "natural colour"; dyed jadeite counts as B/C jade and must be conspicuously labelled; dyed agate and chalcedony are extremely common. |
| Bleached | Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade | Bleaching may affect the durability of the material. Codes differ on whether routine pearl bleaching needs its own declaration (compare the rows on this page); chemical bleaching that changes the structure, or bleaching followed by impregnation, must be disclosed. |
| Coated | Clay Minerals Jade, Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade, Mica Jade | Must be disclosed. Coatings may be abraded, flake off or discolour, and coating is not a permanent enhancement; the coating material must be disclosed (e.g. Mystic Topaz is coated topaz), and the treated effect must not be implied to be natural. |
| Waxed | Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade, Nephrite | Must be disclosed. CIBJO's care annex counts wax among the treatments that are not permanent, so the matching care must also be passed on to the buyer: keep it away from solvents, household chemicals and heat. |
| Impregnated | Fei Cui / Jadeite Jade | Must be disclosed. Where the impregnation also brings colour, as in jadeite that has been acid-treated and then impregnated with polymer and colour, or Zachery-treated turquoise, the colouring is part of what has to be declared. |
Care codes on member entries
Member entries cite these CIBJO special-care codes: special-care code i, special-care code j. General gem care gives the full wording of every code.
Where members are recorded
Some member entries record the localities where their materials are found; Recorded localities shows them on a sketch map and lists them by continent.
Names
- 简体中文
- 玉石材料
- 繁體中文
- 玉石材料
- English
- Jade materials
- 日本語
- ジェード材料
Authority source
- Authority source
- Review status
- Reviewed against CIBJO, GB/T and IMA boundaries.
Distribution across the other axes
All 20 members share these values:
- Origin class
- Natural materials
- Material domain
- Natural inorganic gem materials
- Mineral chemical class
- Silicates
Identity level
- Rock / mineral aggregate (7)
- Trade name: colour / appearance variety (6)
- Mineral / gemstone variety (3)
- Mineral species (2)
- Commercial / trade name (2)
Construction or treatment status
- Natural identity; treatment status unknown (16)
- Natural; treatment common (require certificate to distinguish) (4)