What is White Jade, Jadeite & Nephrite

Excellent quality white jade is mostly jadeite but also nephrite produced, among other in Hetian and other places in China, this actually is tremolite nephrite. There is also some quartzite defined as "Beijing jade" which is fine quartzite looking a bit like transparent and like glowing glass. There is also the calcite type called "Afghan Jade", actually it’s rather a variant of marble with white color and some translucency. What is white jade has a simple answer, its Burmese jade when jadeite and often Chinese jade when nephrite.

Here again it’s the same pattern of all kind of definition but nothing is the real thing, the real thing is jadeite from Myanmar or Burma. The stone is often used to create a Jade Buddha and some Hindu gods plus exotic oriental statues for decoration, beside of white lavender colored stones are often used for bigger statues since only the lower jade price for this two colors allow to create a bigger item, e.g. bigger statues in good green jade get easily prohibitive expensive.

It is an ideal material to create something precious with stately dimensions to impress. It’s much harder than marble and all other stones, only precious stone such as diamond, ruby and a few more are harder. White also tells purity and the ideal gem to impress others.

This piece of art is placed somewhere good visible in the house or in a temple as a sacred Buddha sculpture, sometimes a Hindu Goddess or similar is created. Probably the most renowned Jade Buddha figures of real white color are in Shanghai's Jade Buddha Temple. They were carried to Shanghai by the end of the 19th century by a Buddhist Monk from Burma. This material has a somehow similar image as Carrara marble but naturally its much more precious. Chinese jade jewelry and statues plus other items are often coming from the Hetian area but this type of is optically not very appealing, its rather dull.

White jadeite looks somehow more appealing as white nephrite,

in China the mineral is mined in Hotan, Yutian usually referred to as Hetian. The minerals and chemical composition in the stone bring the variations of colors, another mineral which look very similar is jasper.

Nephrite is one of the two minerals of the jade family and is the green variety of tremolite, now if tremolite is low in iron it’s white nephrite, this is known to Chinese as "mutton body fat jade" It’s the high end expensive nephrite variety.
At the jade market are various quartzite classes jade with white color also sometimes referred to as "Beijing jade" which is a fine-grained variety of quartzite. Another jade calcite form is the so-called "Afghan White Jade" actually it’s a kind of marble, but shade is white and has a translucent shine.

The hardness of this look alike material is low, even with a regular knife engraving can be made. As it is visible buying this mineral needs some expertise otherwise it’s easy to fall into a trap many people open to the non experts.

White jade mythical figure

What is white Jade Buddha Sculpture with gold and ruby dust

Jadeite Jade carvings

on the other hand is mostly shiny and bright a great piece of artwork.

This precious stone is transferred into an beautiful sculpture by artists who sometimes spend a month or more to create a real piece of art.

Only the final object usually looks quite different for "western" eyes, it has a real exotic touch, its a jade Buddha, maybe an Indian goddess or some mythical Chinese figures, it often takes some fantasy to figure out what the sculpture is about.

White jade together with lavender colored are the most popular jades after green. It is always amazing how the artists

White jade carvings

Buddha Statue, jadeite jade.

Burmese jadeite

Desktop decoration

Jade Buddha Pendant

include different colors in the composition. In resent years some new combinations came into the shops such as a Jade Buddha decorated with ruby and gold dust as shown above.

What is white jade

Jade culture is a kind of esoteric special which filled every historical period in China up to now, the difference was before only the rich had access to the mineral now everyone has. Nephrite white jade and jadeite are not the same, nephrite is a tremolite mineral composition and white clear jade like jasper and topaz has jadeite character.

Neolithic white mineral was found in the Liaoning Haicheng Cave this was serpentine stone. Although it is not known when it was chosen for body decoration it started with emerald color, defined as imperial jade, this was used for the emperor and the ruling elite.

It was opaque translucent and glass gloss material of green yellow, spinach green, frog green, melons plum green blue and glossy dark green, violet, lotus color and other varieties.

Nephrite jade also come with sapphire colors and black jade, they all have a waxy sheen. Actually this was often jasper with black smudges impurities of chromium. Other was slightly pink and so called tiger jade.

White Jade Bracelet mixed with some light lavender and light green one.

White Jade Buddha pendants are a good alternative when someone don’t like bulky things to hang around the neck, they are an eye catcher and look good, ideal if someone like a simple design.

This glossy, translucent and mystifying mineral is best without being mixed with other materials but sometimes it’s made into a composition with gold or silver and / or semi-precious stones such as a amethysts or other with a matching color. Some more up market items are often meticulously crafted by designers and come in a set together with a bangle, bracelet and ring.

Jade items definitely can enrich the look of any women but in terms of a Buddha Pendant it will do the same with any men. Chinese say it also brings some kind of protection and luck. In general this are pretty accessory for ladies of all ages.

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