How to use the gemstone beads index

• Origin of the stone's name
• "Also known as" (aka) names
• Chemical composition
• Where it is found
• Honest details about industry practices, enhancements and synthetics, when applicable Metaphysical properties
• History and fun trivia facts
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mineral, nephrite, is an amphibole silicate (basic magnesium iron silicate) in the actinolite series and is usually only green and creamy white. The second, jadeite, is a sodium aluminum silicate that can have the full range of colors known as jade. Varieties of serpentine have also been confused with true jade throughout history. The confusion continues today, since the Chinese word for jade, “yu,” is applied to a variety of minerals that are suitable for jewelry-making and carving, including serpentine, agate and quartz. In translation, all true jade (jadeite and nephrite) is yu, but not all yu is what Westerners would consider true jade. Jade has been treasured in China as the royal gemstone since at least 2950 B.C. According to archeological findings, the Chinese began using jade in the early Neolithic Age (starting around 10,000 B.C.). The ancient Chinese believed jade was the essence of heaven and earth, and carved jade into birds and beasts to use as items of worship. Jade was also a symbol of power, and only aristocrats could own items made from the gemstone. It was even established as a standard of morality for the Chinese. Confucius concluded that jade had 11 virtues, including benevolence, fidelity, etiquette, wisdom and sincerity. Hence, jade was not only a decoration, but also a symbol of ethics and behavior. Wearing jade accessories soon became fashionable, and it was said that a true gentleman would never leave his jade ornaments behind. The Chinese even consumed powdered jade as a remedy for just about every ailment known, and drank it at the time of death as a powerful embalming solution. In Central America, the Olmecs, Mayans and Toltecs also treasured jade and used it for carvings and masks. The Aztecs instituted a tax on jade, which unfortunately led to the recycling of earlier artworks. Although prehistoric axes and blades carved from jade have been found in Europe, most Europeans were unfamiliar with jade as a gemstone for use in jewelry until the 16th century, when jade objects were imported from China and, later, Central America. The Portuguese, who brought back jade pieces from their settlement in China, called jade piedre de ilharga, or gemstone of the loins, because they believed it to be a strong medicine for kidney ailments. The Spanish adapted their own version of this phrase, piedra de hijada, when jade objects were brought home from the New World. This term soon became the French ejade, and then finally, the English "jade." Jade's appearance is warm, approachable and desirable, admired for both its simplicities and complexities. Jade is said to help protect the kidneys, heart, larynx, liver, spleen, thymus and thyroid. It also is believed to strengthen the body and increase longevity, and is known as a symbol of love and virtue. Jade is mined in China, Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Taiwan and the U.S.A.