What is Jade: Jade Gemstone vs Jade Imitations

There may be many confusions with this greenish alien-like rock, is it a stone or a gem? Could it be worth a lot? Is it rare? Are there more than one type of this rock? 

When most people think of jade, they think of China because of the cultural and artistic tradition of jade in the country. Although it has historically been used outside of Imperial China for ornamental objects, tools, and weapons, jade is actually more important in China than in other areas. The tradition of gem-carving is thousands of years old in China with jadeite jade, one of the two types of jade, as the important material. Jadeite was first discovered in China from Burma (now Myanmar) in the late 1700s. The Chinese believe that jade helps with the clarity of the mind and purity of the spirit. Because of its hardness, stone age workers frequently used the stone to make tools and weapons. Interestingly, ancient cultures with jade artifacts all used it independently as an important stone, with no contact or trading with one another.

Many people get tricked by merchants who claim that any green stone is jade since green is such a well-known thing about jade, but it isn’t jade if it is not jadeite or nephrite, the only two types of jade.

Faux Jade

Jade is a lovely stone that comes in a variety of colors, including green, orange, and white. The majority of us usually think of the green-colored jade. However, because jade is a very popular and expensive stone, there are many fakes, imitations, or treated jades on the market. According to historical records, the Chinese began dyeing jade to improve its color in the 13th century. 

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