the.com/jadeite
the rarest jade, so green it makes emeralds rethink their life choices
means A rare, dense, and highly prized form of jade composed of the mineral jadeite, valued for its translucence and vivid green color.
from Named from the same root as jade: Spanish conquistadors called the stone piedra de ijada, 'stone of the flank,' believing it cured kidney and colic pains when pressed to the side. French clipped this to le jade, and English borrowed it. In the 19th century, scientists realized 'jade' was actually two distinct minerals — and the harder, rarer one was given the formal name jadeite, the suffix -ite marking it as a mineral, the way it does for so many stones.
- price record
- one necklace sold for $27 million
- toughest gem
- harder to shatter than steel
- imperial green
- the most coveted shade on Earth
- birth conditions
- forms where tectonic plates violently collide
- two jades
- jade is actually two minerals, jadeite and nephrite
myanmar jade trade — burmese jadeite accounts for ~70% of global jade commerce, mined primarily in kachin state
guatemala motagua valley — pre-columbian maya jadeite source, still mined; artifacts dated to 1500 bce found throughout mesoamerica
imperial green jadeite brooch — sotheby's hong kong sold a carved jadeite piece for $27.4 million in 2014, highest price for any jade