Posted By: Steve
Posted Date: Dec 19, 2007 (02:31 AM)
Chinese Jade is a Nephrite Jade and goes back some 6000 years in Chinese history. The most common one being Xiu Yan Jade. It comes in various colors, The color of nephrite varies from white, yellow, green and brown to black, depending on the amount of iron substituting for magnesium. Iron-poor tremolite is white, grey or green; whereas iron-rich varieties (actinolite) are darker green, grey-green, and grading though to black. (I can see no die here)
There were also rocks made of both nephrite and serpentine and high quality serpentine (bowenite) were found and used for carving of Hongshan jade artifacts.
- Jim - Dec 20, 2007 (11:36 AM)