AUSSIE NEPHRITE JADE ROCK 36![AUSSIE NEPHRITE JADE ROCK 36 AUSSIE NEPHRITE JADE ROCK 36](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20128%20128'%3E%3C/svg%3E)
A piece of Aussie Nephrite Jade Rock 36. Great for the lapidarist or carver after relatively rare Australian Nephrite Jade. Most of these pieces have at least one straight edge and all are ready to start working your magic on. I have taken photos of the jade both dry and wet to give an idea of colour. It looks better in person than the pics show. All the Jade is from Cowell in South Australia.
Dimensions:
Total Weight, 1347g.
Location:
Cowell, South Australia.
AUSSIE NEPHRITE JADE ROCK 36
JADE SAMPLE IMAGES
The Name Jade
Jade is the name for two different stones. Realized in 1863, they are both still called Jade.
JADEITE
NEPHRITE
Toughest Natural Stone in the World
The toughness of Nephrite Jade is remarkable. It has a strength greater than steel when put to work by many early civilizations for axes, knives and weapons. It was later that jade became a symbolic stone used in ornaments and other religious artifacts of history. Jadeite is usually green to grayish green, white, pale shades of blue or purple, may also be yellow or pink. Nephrite colors are black, green and white.
Some Confusion
One of the two different stones called jade is Nephrite. The other Jade mineral is Jadeite. Nephrite is more abundant than Jadeite and has few color varieties. Color ranging from creamy white to green to such a dark green it becomes black. Nephrite is a variety of Actinolite but not all Actinolite is Nephrite.
Check out more Jade for sale here
NEPHRITE.
Nephrite is a rock comprising mostly massive microcrystalline to cryptocrystalline felted amphiboles of the tremolite – actinolite series. It is one of the two rocks termed as jade. The other being jadeitite or jadeite jade, consisting mostly of jadeite. Both are extremely tough and resistant to fracture. Used for making choppers and blades since Neolithic times. In addition to amphibole, nephrite can contain minor to trace amounts of the following. Diopside, grossularitic garnet, magnetite, chromite, graphite, apatite, rutile, pyrite, datolite, vesuvianite, prehnite, talc, the serpentine polymorphs and titanite.
A variety of Actinolite, Nephrite is Jade. Used for generations in New Zealand, China and Central America as an ornamental stone. Revered as a stone of deep significance and cultural associations. It’s a hard heavy and tough as nails stone. The polish and reflection of color on Black Jade is a mirror.
Actinolite is a relatively common mineral in some metamorphic rocks. It belongs to a series with the minerals tremolite and ferro-actinolite. A series occurs when ions can freely substitute between each other. In this case, when iron is predominant the mineral is ferro-actinolite and when magnesium is predominant the mineral is tremolite. Actinolite is the intermediate member.
Actinolite occasionally forms interesting crystal habits and specimens. Crystals can be similar to hornblende, but are always translucent or even transparent. Typically they are prismatic, flattened and elongated. Crystal specimens of Actinolite can make very interesting mineral specimens.
Properties.
Color is usually green, white or black.
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: examples are translucent to transparent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits flattened prismatic and elongated crystal with a dome like termination, two of the four faces of a prism. Also as a fibrous mass (asbestos) and as a fibrous and very compact mass (nephrite jade).
Cleavage: is perfect in two directions at close to 60- and 120-degree angles.
Fracture is splintery to uneven.
Hardness is 5.5 – 6.
Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 – 3.3 (very slightly above average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Inosilicates
Group: Amphibole
Associated Minerals are quartz, lawsaonite, epidote and glaucophane.
Other Characteristics: the compact nephrite variety is extremely tough and is actually stronger than steel.
Notable Occurrences include the Lake Baikal Region, Russia; China; New Zealand; British Columbia, Canada, Australia, USA, Guatemala and Taiwan.
Best Field Indicators are toughness (nephrite jade), fibrosity (asbestos), typical green color, crystal habit and hardness.
Chemistry: Ca2(Mg, Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 , Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide.
Uses: as ornamental stone used for carvings and semi precious to precious stone used in jewelry
Specimens
JADEITE.
Jadeite comes from strongly metamorphosed sodium rich serpentinous rocks. Named from Spanish piedra de ijada stone of the side, thought to cure kidney stones.
Jadeite has many color varieties, and while green Jadeite is most recognizable.
Properties.
Color is usually green to grayish green, white, pale shades of blue or purple, may also be yellow or pink.
Luster is vitreous.
Transparency: examples are translucent.
Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m
Crystal Habits Generally fine-grained fibrous, also massive or granular.
Cleavage: is good but rarely observed.
Fracture is splintery to uneven.
Hardness is 6.5.
Specific Gravity is approximately 3.25 – 3.35 (above average for translucent minerals).
Streak is white.
Class: Silicates
Subclass: Inosilicates
Group: Pyroxene
Associated Minerals are quartz, serpentine, nepheline, calcite, aragonite and vesuvianite.
Other Characteristics: Fine grained jadeite is extremely tough and is actually stronger than steel.
Notable Occurrences include San Benito County, California, Mexico, Japan, Tibet, and the best gem-quality from Myanmar (Burma).
Best Field Indicators are toughness, fibrosity, typical green color and hardness.
Chemistry: Na(Al, Fe)Si2O6, Sodium Aluminum Iron Silicate.
The Name Jade
Uses: as an ornamental stone used for carvings and semi-precious to precious stone used in jewelry
Specimens