The short answer
Jade is two different minerals. Nephrite is the jade carved in China for thousands of years, and Hetian jade is nephrite. Jadeite is the second mineral: harder, more glassy, and the one that carries the vivid greens. On GrainMoon every piece called Hetian jade is nephrite and every piece called jadeite is jadeite. They are judged differently and cared for the same way.
Nephrite: Hetian jade
Nephrite is a tough interlocking mineral. Polished, it takes a soft, slightly oily lustre rather than a glassy one; that waxy glow is the first thing an experienced eye looks for. White is the best known colour, but celadon and grey-green are judged by the same standard.
Our Hetian jade pieces are pendants and bead bracelets. Two of the pendants, a plaque and a disc, carry a solid 18K gold accent bead of about 0.03 g; the Fortune Guardian bracelet carries about 0.06 g. The jade itself has no plating.
How nephrite is judged
Texture first: a fine, even grain that looks dense rather than grainy. Then lustre, which should look like warm wax, not like glass. Then colour evenness, and how few visible inclusions or cracks a carved piece carries.
Nephrite does not fade. Skin oils can deepen the lustre of a polished surface over years of wear. Nothing on our pages states a treatment or dye for these pieces; where a piece is described as natural, that is the word used for it.
Jadeite
Jadeite is harder and more brittle than nephrite, and its surface polishes to a brighter, glassier finish. Our jadeite pendants are described on their pages as natural, untreated Type A.
What Type A means
Type A is natural jadeite with no bleaching, resin filling or dye. Type B and Type C jadeite have been bleached, resin-filled or dyed, and are worth far less, which is why the letter matters. If a product page shows no certificate field, we hold no certificate for that piece and do not claim one.
How jadeite is judged
By colour, translucency and treatment. Translucency runs from opaque to icy, where light passes through the stone and gives it depth. Icy is a description, not a grade. Texture should be fine enough that no grain shows under the polish.
Which is more valuable
Fine jadeite generally reaches higher prices, but both minerals cover a wide range. Colour, translucency and workmanship decide the price of a given piece, not the name of the mineral.
Care for both
The same rules serve both stones.
- Take jade off before swimming, cleaning or sleeping.
- Wipe it with a soft dry cloth.
- Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, heat, bleach and household solvents.
- Store it apart from harder stones.
Knocks against a hard edge are what break carvings, not water. Jadeite is hard but brittle; a bangle breaks when it is knocked against a basin or a door frame, so take it off before housework. A jadeite bangle is cut from one piece of stone and cannot be resized, so measure the widest part of your hand before choosing. On a corded pendant or bracelet, the cord wears out long before the stone does; replace it when it frays. We replace cords on jade pendants and bead bracelets for a fee: email support@grainmoon.com with the name of your piece and we will quote for it.
A word about lab-created yellow jade
Two bracelets in the shop are made of lab-created yellow jade. That is a manufactured material sold under that name, and it is neither nephrite nor jadeite. We always write lab-created before it so it is never confused with the natural jade in the Jade collection.
What jade traditionally stands for
Jade in either form is traditionally associated with protection, calm and harmony, and is often given to mark a beginning. The Pixiu, a winged guardian creature carved on several of our pieces, is traditionally a symbol of wealth and protection; the plain disc is a traditional symbol of harmony; the laughing Buddha is a traditional figure of contentment; the leaf is traditionally read as growth. These are traditions, not results.
