Radical Rocks

 Jade – Who’s the queen, Nephrite or Jadeite By Shane of Radical Rocks Before 1863, jade and jadeite were considered the same kind of stone. Then a Frenchman was able to prove that although the stones are similar, they are different, he called one nephrite and the other jadeite. Both display monoclinic intergrown grainy and fibrous crystal systems that causes them to be a very tough gem stone. In fact, jade has been often been called the ax stone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dagger_India_Louvre_MR13434.jpg Some of the differences are as follows; jadeite is composed with silicate of sodium and aluminum, were nephrite is composed with silicate of calcium and magnesium. Also, there is a difference in the fibrous intertwining, that is slightly denser in the jadeite than the nephrite. Both make excellent carving material that support intricate carving that most stone can’t compete with. Chinese have been carving jade for hundreds of years, over 700 years. So,...