A dark green to black variety of Jadeite. Jadeite is one of the minerals recognized as the gemstone jade.
The most highly valued colours of jadeite are the most intensely green, translucent varieties, though traditionally white has been considered the most valuable of the jades by the Chinese, known for their carefully crafted jade pieces.
Jadeite is formed in metamorphic rocks under high pressure and relatively low temperature conditions. Albite is a common mineral of the Earth’s crust, and it has a specific gravity of about 2.6, much less than that of jadeite. With increasing pressure, albite breaks down to form the high-pressure assemblage of jadeite plus quartz.
Colour is largely affected by the presence of trace elements such as chromium and iron. Its translucence can be anywhere from entirely solid through opaque to almost clear. Variations in colour and translucence are often found even within a single specimen.
