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Nephrite is a variety of the calcium and magnesium-rich amphibole
Amphibole

Amphibole defines an important group of generally dark-colored rock-forming Silicate minerals minerals, composed of double chain SiO4 tetrahedron, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures....
 mineral actinolite
Actinolite

Actinolite is an amphibole silicate minerals with the chemical formula ....
 (aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos
Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is derived from a Greek language adjective meaning inextinguishable....
). The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca
Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
2(Mg
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
,Fe
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
)5Si
Silicon

Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
8O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
22(OH
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
)2. It is one of two different mineral species called jade
Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
. The other mineral species known as jade is jadeite
Jadeite

Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition sodiumaluminumsilicon2oxygen6. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition....
, which is a variety of pyroxene
Pyroxene

The pyroxenes are a group of important rock-forming silicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rock rock . They share a common structure comprised of single chains of silica tetrahedra and they crystallize in the monoclinic and orthorhombic systems....
. While nephrite jade possess mainly grays and greens (and occasionally yellows, browns or whites), Jadeite jade, which is rarer, can also contain blacks, reds, pinks and violets.






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Nephrite is a variety of the calcium and magnesium-rich amphibole
Amphibole

Amphibole defines an important group of generally dark-colored rock-forming Silicate minerals minerals, composed of double chain SiO4 tetrahedron, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures....
 mineral actinolite
Actinolite

Actinolite is an amphibole silicate minerals with the chemical formula ....
 (aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos
Asbestos

Asbestos is a naturally occurring silicate mineral with long, thin fibrous crystals. The word asbestos is derived from a Greek language adjective meaning inextinguishable....
). The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca
Calcium

Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft grey alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth most abundant element by mass in the earth's Crust ....
2(Mg
Magnesium

Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, atomic weight 24.3050 and common oxidation number +2.Magnesium, an alkaline earth metal, is the ninth most abundance of the chemical elements in the universe by mass....
,Fe
Iron

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. Iron is a Group 8 element and period 4 element. Iron is lustrous and silvery in color....
)5Si
Silicon

Silicon is the most common metalloid. It is a chemical element, which has the symbol Si and atomic number 14. The atomic mass is 28.0855....
8O
Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
22(OH
Hydrogen

Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the chemical symbol H. At standard temperature and pressure, hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, nonmetallic, tasteless, highly combustion and explosive Diatomic molecule gas with the molecular formula H2....
)2. It is one of two different mineral species called jade
Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
. The other mineral species known as jade is jadeite
Jadeite

Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition sodiumaluminumsilicon2oxygen6. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition....
, which is a variety of pyroxene
Pyroxene

The pyroxenes are a group of important rock-forming silicate minerals found in many igneous and metamorphic rock rock . They share a common structure comprised of single chains of silica tetrahedra and they crystallize in the monoclinic and orthorhombic systems....
. While nephrite jade possess mainly grays and greens (and occasionally yellows, browns or whites), Jadeite jade, which is rarer, can also contain blacks, reds, pinks and violets. Nephrite jade is an ornamental stone, used in carving
Carving

Carving can mean*Bone carving*Chip carving*EQ carving, an application of equalization in audio mixing*Gourd art*Ice sculpture*Ivory carving...
s, bead
Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for yarn or stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter....
s, or cabochon
Cabochon

A cabochon or cabachon, from the Middle French caboche , is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to facetted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom....
 cut gemstones.

The name nephrite is derived from lapis nephriticus, which means 'kidney stone' and is the Latin version of the Spanish piedra de ijada. Accordingly, nephrite jade was once believed to be a cure for kidney stones.

Nephrite can be found in a translucent white to very light yellow form which is known in China as mutton fat jade, in an opaque white to very light brown or gray which is known as chicken bone jade, as well as in a variety of green colours. Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 is the principal source of modern lapidary
Lapidary

A lapidary is an artisan who practices the craft of working, forming and finishing Rock , mineral, gemstones, and other suitably durable materials into functional and/or decorative, even wearable, items ....
 nephrite. Nephrite jade was used mostly in pre-1800 China
China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
 as well as in New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, the Pacific Coast and Atlantic Coasts of North America, Neolithic Europe, and southeast Asia.

History


Prehistoric and historic China

During Neolithic
Neolithic

The Neolithic period was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 Before the Christian Era in the Middle East that is traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age....
 times, the key known sources of nephrite jade in China for utilitarian and ceremonial jade items were the now depleted deposits in the Ningshao area in the Yangtze River Delta
Yangtze River Delta

The Yangtze River Delta or Yangtze Delta, also called Yangzi, or Chang Jiang Delta, Rive Chang Delta Lake Tai or the Golden Triangle of the Yangtze , generally comprises the triangular-shaped territory of Wu Chinese-speaking Shanghai, southern Jiangsu province and northern Zhejiang province of China....
 (Liangzhu culture
Liangzhu culture

The Liangzhu culture was the last Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta of China. Its area of influence extended from Lake Tai in the north to Nanjing and Shanghai in the east and Hangzhou in the south....
 3400–2250 BC) and in an area of the Liaoning province in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia

Inner Mongolia is the Mongols autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China, located in the country's north.Inner Mongolia borders, from east to west, the provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, and Gansu, while to the north it borders Mongolia and Russia....
 (Hongshan culture
Hongshan culture

The Hongshan culture was a Neolithic culture in northeastern China. Hongshan sites have been found in an area stretching from Inner Mongolia to Liaoning and Hebei, and dated from about 4700 BC to 2900 BC....
 4700–2200 BC). Jade was used to create many utilitarian and ceremonial objects, ranging from indoor decorative items to jade burial suit
Jade burial suit

A Jade burial suit is a ceremonial suit made of pieces of jade in which some nobility in Han Dynasty China were buried. The Chinese believed that jade had magical properties and would prevent the decay of the body....
s. Jade was considered the "imperial gem". From about the earliest Chinese dynasties until present, the jade deposits in most use were from the region of Khotan
Khotan

The oasis town of Hotan or Hetian . It was previously known in Chinese as ?? pinyin: Yutian.Hotan is the capital of Hotan Prefecture, Xinjiang, China....
 in the Western Chinese province of Xinjiang
Xinjiang

Xinjiang is an autonomous region of China of the People's Republic of China. It is a large, sparsely populated area, spanning over 1.6 million sq....
 (jade deposits from other areas of China, such as Lantian
Lantian

Lantian may refer to:*Lantian County, in Xi'an, Shaanxi, China*Lantian Man, subspecies of Homo erectus*Sichuan Lantian Helicopter Company Limited, aeronautics company based in Sichuan, China...
, Shaanxi
Shaanxi

is a north-central political divisions of China of the People's Republic of China, and includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River as well as the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of the province....
, were also in great demand). There, white and greenish nephrite jade is found in small quarries and as pebbles and boulders in the rivers flowing from the Kuen-Lun mountain range northward into the Takla-Makan desert area. River jade collection was concentrated in the Yarkand
Yarkand River

The Yarkand River is a river in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western People's Republic of China. It is one of the headstreams of the Tarim River. It is approximately 970kilometre in length....
, the White Jade (Yurungkash) and Black Jade (Karakash
Karakash River

The Karakash or Black Jade River, also spelled Karakax , is a river in the Xinjiang autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, which lies partially in the disputed Aksai Chin region....
) Rivers. From the Kingdom of Khotan
Kingdom of Khotan

The Kingdom of Khotan is an ancient Buddhism kingdom that was located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the southern edge of the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim basin....
, on the southern leg of the Silk Road
Silk Road

The Silk Road is an extensive interconnected network of trade routes across the Asian continent connecting East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean world, including North Africa and Europe....
, yearly tribute payments consisting of the most precious white jade were made to the Chinese imperial court and there transformed into objets d'art by skilled artisans, as jade was considered more valuable than gold
Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. It is a highly sought-after precious metal, having been used as money, as a store of value, in jewelry, in sculpture, and for ornamentation since the beginning of recorded history....
 or silver
Silver

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal....
.

Maori

Nephrite jade in New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 is known as pounamu in the Maori language
Maori language

Maori or te reo Maori, also commonly shortened to te reo , functions as one of the official languages of New Zealand. Linguists classify it within the Eastern Polynesian languages as closely related to Cook Islands Maori, Tuamotuan language and Tahitian language; somewhat less closely to Hawaiian language and Marquesan language; a...
, and is highly valued, playing an important role in Maori
Maori

The Maori are the indigenous people Polynesian people of Aotearoa . The group probably arrived in south-western Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300....
 culture. It is considered a taonga
Taonga

A taonga in Maori culture is a treasured thing, whether tangible or intangible. Tangible examples are all sorts of Antiques and Artefact s, real property and fisheries....
, or treasure, and therefore protected under the Treaty of Waitangi
Treaty of Waitangi

The Treaty of Waitangi is a treaty first signed on February 6, 1840, by representatives of the United Kingdom The Crown, and various Maori chiefs from the northern North Island of New Zealand....
, and the exploitation of it is restricted and closely monitored. The South Island
South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major Islands of New Zealand of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. The Maori name for the South Island, Te Wai Pounamu, meaning "The Water/s of Greenstone" , possibly evolved from Te Wahi Pounamu which means "The Place Of Greenstone"....
 of New Zealand is Te Wai Pounamu in Maori — "The [land of] Greenstone Water" — because that is where it occurs.

Weapons and ornaments were made of it; in particular the mere
Mere (weapon)

A mere is a traditional weapon of the Maori of New Zealand.Made of a heavy hardwood or a stone, such as jade, it is a short club about 30 cm in length....
 (short club), and the hei-tiki
Hei-tiki

The hei-tiki is an ornamental neck pendant of the Maori....
 (neck pendant). These were believed to have their own mana
Mana

Mana is the concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The concept is common to many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian languages, Polynesian languages, and Micronesian languages....
, were handed down as valuable heirlooms, and often given as gifts to seal important agreements. It was also used for a range of tools such as adze
Adze

An adze or adz is a tool used for smoothing rough-cut wood in hand woodworking. Generally, the user stands astride a board or log and swings the adze downwards towards their feet, chipping off pieces of wood, moving backwards as they go and leaving a relatively smooth surface behind....
s, as Maori had no metal tools.

In New Zealand English
New Zealand English

New Zealand English is the form of the English language used in New Zealand.The English language was established in New Zealand by colonists during the 19th century....
 its normal name is "greenstone". Jade jewellery
Jewellery

Jewellery is an item of personal adornment, such as a necklace, ring , brooch or bracelet, that is worn by a person. It may be made from gemstones or precious metals, but may be from any other material, and may be appreciated because of geometric or other patterns, or meaningful symbols....
 in Maori designs is widely popular with locals of all races, and with tourists – although much of the jade itself is now imported from British Columbia
British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's Provinces and territories of Canada and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu ....
 and elsewhere.

Other names

Besides the terms already mentioned, nephrite has the following synonyms and varieties: aotea, axe-stone, B.C. jade, beilstein, kidney stone, lapis nephriticus, nephrit, nephrita, New Zealand greenstone, New Zealand jade, spinach jade (dark grayish green), and talcum nephriticus. Tomb jade or grave jade are names given to ancient burial nephrite pieces that have a brown or chalky white texture as a surface treatment.

Further reading

  • Laufer, Berthold, 1912, Jade: A Study in Chinese Archeology & Religion, Reprint: Dover Publications, New York. 1974.
  • Rawson, Jessica
    Jessica Rawson

    Professor Dame Jessica Rawson, Order of the British Empire, DLitt, FBA is an English academic. She is the Warden of Merton College , Professor of Chinese Art and Archaeology and a Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Oxford University....
    , 1975, Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, London: Albert Saifer, ISBN 0-87556-754-1


External links