Jadeite
Species
Rare · NaAlSi₂O₆
A sodium aluminium pyroxene of high-pressure metamorphic rocks (the glaucophane facies) and of eclogite. Crystals are rare; it is found as tough, fine-grained masses, the rock called jadeite jade, of which the translucent emerald-green of northern Myanmar is the most prized. One of the two materials sold as jade, with nephrite.
Identity
- Formula
- NaAlSi₂O₆
- Chemical class
- Silicate
- Part of
- Jade
- Mineral group
- Aegirine, Diopside, Enstatite, Hiddenite, Jade, Kunzite
- Also known as
- Jadeite jade, Fei cui, Imperial jade (emerald-green)
Crystallography
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Habits
- Massive, Granular, Fibrous, Prismatic
- Fracture
- Splintery
Physical properties
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5
- Density
- 3.33 g/cm³
- Luster
- Vitreous, Pearly
- Colors
- apple-green, emerald green, blue-green, white, green, violet
- Streak
- white
- Transparency
- Translucent
Geology
- Origins
- Metamorphic
- Host rocks
- Schist and gneiss
- Associated minerals
- Albite, Quartz, Mica, Calcite, Aragonite, Analcime
- Geography
- Myanmar (Kachin State), Japan (Niigata), Russia (Lake Baikal), USA (California), Guatemala (Motagua Valley)
Classification
- Rarity
- Rare
- Gem quality
- Yes
Sources
- M. Pasero and others, IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, The New IMA List of Minerals, updated September 2026. International Mineralogical Association (CNMNC), 2026.
- J. W. Anthony, R. A. Bideaux, K. W. Bladh, M. C. Nichols, Jadeite. Mineral Data Publishing, Handbook of Mineralogy, 2001.
- Jadeite. Mindat.org (Hudson Institute of Mineralogy).
- Jade. Gemological Institute of America, Gem Encyclopedia.
Browse the Crystal Encyclopedia — MGS Toolbox