---
title: "Jadeite: meaning in gemology"
description: "Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral, and jadeite jade is a rock of its aggregated fibrous or granular crystals. Chromium causes the color of green jadeite."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/jadeite
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/og-digital-gemology.png?v=d224fb01
---

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[Glossary](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary) · Colored gemstones

# Jadeite

Also called jadeite jade, Fei Cui, A jade, B jade, C jade

Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral, and jadeite jade is a rock of its aggregated fibrous or granular crystals. Chromium causes the color of green jadeite.

## Properties

**Gemological properties of jadeite**

| Refractive index | 1.666 to 1.680 (+/-0.008); spot reading usually about 1.66 |
| --- | --- |
| Birefringence | Not measurable (an aggregate) |
| Optic character | Aggregate |
| Dispersion | Not given by our sources |
| Specific gravity | 3.34 (+0.06/-0.09) |
| Hardness (Mohs) | 6.5 to 7 |
| Crystal system | Aggregate (monoclinic) |
| Pleochroism | None |
| Absorption spectrum | Characteristic line in the violet-blue, seen with a handheld spectroscope, 437 nm (Fe3+ (ferric iron)); line in the red, naturally colored green jadeite, 630 nm (Cr (chromium spectrum)); line in the red, naturally colored green jadeite, 655 nm (Cr (chromium spectrum)); line in the deep red, naturally colored green jadeite, 691 nm (Cr (chromium spectrum)) |

Published values. They change a little from stone to stone. Our tools do not model jadeite yet. Sources: [GIA](https://www.gia.edu/jade) · [International Gem Society](https://www.gemsociety.org/article/jadeite-jewelry-and-gemstone-information/)

## In more detail

Colors range from white through green to black, but its most desirable color is a very specific green. In a classification used in Hong Kong, A jade is untreated or only waxed, and C jade is dyed. B jade is bleached with acid and then impregnated with polymer resin. In a GIA study, only infrared spectroscopy proved polymer impregnation in all cases.

## On a grading report

LMHC wording: Group: pyroxene. Species: (natural) jadeite. Variety: (color) jadeite jade. Bleached and impregnated material reads '(resin/wax) impregnated', known in the trade as B-jade.

## Related terms

- [Jade](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/jade): Jade is a trade name for gem rocks made mainly of jadeite or nephrite. Their tiny interlocking crystals make them exceptionally tough.
- [Nephrite](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/nephrite): Nephrite is a rock of densely interlocked fibers of actinolite-tremolite, an amphibole. This fine-grained interlocking structure makes it very tough.
- [Resin filling](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/resin-filling): Resin filling is filling a gem's fissures or cavities with a resin, often one that hardens, to hide them.
- [Dyeing](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/dyeing): Dyeing is adding a colored substance to a gem's fractures or pores to change its color.
- [Toughness](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/toughness): Toughness is a gem's resistance to chipping and breaking. It differs from hardness, which is resistance to scratching.

[All 369 terms](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary)