Jadeite and nephrite jade jewelry have been one of the icon of jade jewelry for years, the idea of jade providing wealth and safety for the wearer is very prevalent in Asia, and also the history of jade goes back thousands and thousand of years. With the imperial seal of china being made of nephrite jade! So let’s talk about why you should wear jade!
Number one, Jade is one of the toughest gemstones on earth!
Hardness, as defined by the GIA, is: "Gemstone Hardness = resistance to scratches and abrasions"
which for example, diamonds are ranked as a 10 on the Mohs Hardness scale and it will scratch anything that's rated under 10. For example sapphire and ruby(9) will be scratched by a diamond if abrased by it, and sapphires and rubies will scratch itself and anything softer, such as a topaz (8), quartz(7) or, Jade(6-7).
Toughness, as defined by the GIA, is: Gemstone Toughness = resistance to breaking and chipping
About toughness: For example, a leather shoe, is soft and can be scratched easily with just a fingernail, but it is very tough, so it stands up to years of wear. On the other hand, glass is very hard, but can easily shatter when you drop them on the cement floor.
Jadeite has a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. Hardness is scratch resistance, which means jadeite cannot be easily scratched except with those which have higher hardness. For instance, diamond has a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, it’s the hardest stone in the world. But jade has good toughness. That’s why jade was used to make tools and weapons back in the stone ages!
Jade has exceptional toughness which resists chips, nicks, cracks, and breakage. So it can be carved into very detailed work without breaking or cracking it. Please see the below carvings.
Number two, jade represents wealth, good luck, and safety!
Jade has been a good luck stone for thousands of years! It is believed that jade provides healing, and keeps the wearer from harm and brings harmony. It is believed that Jade brings friendship and wealth. It’s believed that it provides stability and promotes self-sufficiency. Soothes the mind, releasing negative thoughts!
Number three: the varieties of color of jade
There are sooo many colors of jade! Jadeite comes in all shades of green, all shades of yellow, all shades of lavender, and all shades of just about any color! Even red and black!
So many colors makes it such a fantastic stone for use in jewelry! The most important thing is to make sure that you jade is not treated jade! Because sometimes, treated jade’s color can and will fade over time! One very obvious sign of treated jade is that the jade will have a yellow hue after years. And that is from the polymer impregnation of the jade turning yellow! J
Lastly, jade’s color is just simply lovely, isn’t it?
Comment what you have heard about jade! Do you have history with jade? Do you love jade? We want to hear from you!
