Jadeite - The Most Expensive Gemstone in the World
- 10 years ago
Jadeite - The Most Expensive Gemstone in the World. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition. The mineral is dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. Jadeite forms solid solutions with other pyroxene endmembers such as augite and diopside, aegirine , and kosmochlor. Pyroxenes rich in both the jadeite and augite endmembers are known as omphacite.
Jadeite's color commonly ranges from white through pale apple green to deep jade green but can also be blue-green (like the recently rediscovered "Olmec Blue" jade), pink, lavender and a multitude of other rare colors. Chloromelanite is a very dark green to black variety. Color is largely affected by the presence of trace elements such as chromium and iron. Its translucence can be anywhere from entirely solid through opaque to almost clear. Variations in color and translucence are often found even within a single specimen. Jadeite is reported from California, USA; Myanmar; New Zealand; Guatemala; other localities of jadeite include Kazakhstan; Russia; British Columbia, Canada; Alaska, USA; Italy and Turkestan.
Jadeite's color commonly ranges from white through pale apple green to deep jade green but can also be blue-green (like the recently rediscovered "Olmec Blue" jade), pink, lavender and a multitude of other rare colors. Chloromelanite is a very dark green to black variety. Color is largely affected by the presence of trace elements such as chromium and iron. Its translucence can be anywhere from entirely solid through opaque to almost clear. Variations in color and translucence are often found even within a single specimen. Jadeite is reported from California, USA; Myanmar; New Zealand; Guatemala; other localities of jadeite include Kazakhstan; Russia; British Columbia, Canada; Alaska, USA; Italy and Turkestan.