Understanding More About Attractive Jade Beads

Posted by adortalukdar on January 10th, 2014

Jade beads can actually be made of one of two rocks that are termed to be jade. The most common jade beads are crafted from Nephrite. This rock is comprised of calcium, amphibole and tremolite. The center layer of Nephrite is actually one form of asbestos. The more iron that this rock has in it the more it appears to be green.

The other rock substance that is referred to as jade is actually Jadeite. Jadeite is comprised of sodium and aluminum rich pyroxene. The jadeite is used less frequently in the creation of jade beads because Jadeite is actually harder than quartz. That makes this stone hard to work with, but the Nephrite has the rich green color people want in jade beads and the stones are softer and easier to form.

Nephrite and Jadeite were once commonly used in treatments of kidney ailments and diseases of the loins. Because of the way the stones were used the English speaking people started to refer to them as “jade”.

Nephrite that has very little iron in it will appear to be other colors. There is a form of this stone found in China that is a pure milky white with no green hue to it at all. The iron content creates many different shades of green in this stone, but in the Jadeite there are color variations of pink, mauve, lavender, and even blue. The Jadeite version of the stone is much rarer to come across than the Nephrite version of the stone is.

Jade has a measure scale that helps people to discern its value, much like the karat scale helps people to discern the amount of pure gold a ring contains.

JType A

When you see jade labeled as being type A you can rest assured that it is Jadeite that has had nothing done to it or infused into it. The stone may have been polished for appearances, but nothing else has been done that would alter the make-up of the piece.

Type B

Type B jade occurs when a jeweler has a piece of stone that has great potential, but some stains in it. A chemical process is used in an attempt to rid the stone of the stain. The jeweler might impregnate the stone with a clear polymer resin to enhance its shine and transparent nature. When polymer impregnation is suspected of a jade item an infrared spectroscopy is performed to prove the existence of polymer in the stone.

Type C

When the jade has been dyed using artificial measures it will be classed as a type C. Many times the staining of this stone will result in a brown colored stone instead of the coveted deep green. Even when the stone achieves the emerald green color it will lose its transparency during the dying process.

The combination of type b + c

Any jade that is a combination of type B and type C will have been impregnated and dyed in an effort to achieve a certain appearance.

Type D

This type of jade is actually a small piece of jade that is positioned over a plastic backing to create an item.

Jade beads can be made from semi-precious stone that is very valuable. Jade beads are more likely to be created from Nephrite than from Jadeite stone. You can get more information from pandahall.com.