the.com/nephrite
The tougher half of jade, forged from interlocking fibers strong enough to dull steel.
means Nephrite is one of the two minerals known as jade, a tough calcium-magnesium-iron silicate of the amphibole family, prized for carving and ranging in color from creamy white to deep green.
from The name traces to the Greek 'nephros,' meaning kidney. The stone earned this association from an old belief that wearing or applying it could cure ailments of the kidneys and bladder — the same superstition that gave us 'jade' itself, from the Spanish 'piedra de ijada,' the 'stone of the flank' or loin. So both names for this rock are, at heart, medical advice carved in stone. 'Nephrite' as a mineralogical term was coined in the late 18th century to distinguish this kidney-stone from its cousin jadeite.
- name origin
- Greek for kidney; once worn to cure ailments
- toughness king
- More fracture-resistant than steel by structure
- chemical twin
- Jadeite is the other true jade mineral
- ancient tools
- Carved into axes before metal existed
- Maori treasure
- Pounamu greenstone is sacred in New Zealand
maori jade — new zealand nephrite carved by indigenous maori people for over 700 years, culturally sacred
chinese imperial jade — nephrite from xinjiang used since 3000 bce for chinese imperial seals and ceremonial objects
tutut boulder — massive nephrite boulder in british columbia, canada, weighing over 100 tons, one of world's largest