和田玉英文介绍.doc

\o Nephrite Nephrite Jade is a name which is given to two different metamorphic stones, Nephrite and? Jadeite. Each of these stones are composed of different silicate minerals. Nephrite jade is the original stone of heaven which has been revered by the Chinese for thousands of years. Nephrite is a variety of a calcium and magnesium-rich amphibole mineral actinolite (which also makes up a certain form of asbestos). The chemical formula of nephrite jade is Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2. Its crystal habitat is massive and it is of the monoclinic crystal system. Nephrite jade takes on a high polish which is vitreous to greasy. Its fracture is splintery to granular. Nephrite has a refractive index is 1.606 to 1.632. The Hardness and Toughness Of Nephrite Nephrite is more common than its harder counterpart, jadeite. Though it is softer (measuring a 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale, compared to the 6.5-7 of jadeite) it is actually a much tougher stone. Hardness is an attribute measured by how easily it can be scratched. A diamond measures the hardest on this scale at a 10, it can scratch anything while it cant be scratched by anything other than another diamond. Both nephrite and jadeite are harder than steel, if you can scratch a stone with a knife it is not jade. Toughness measures the brittleness or the ability of a material (or in this case a mineral) to break. According to the? Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources of British Columbia?the fracture strength of nephrite is about 200 MN/m2 whereas that of jadeite is about 100 MN/m2 which is an impressive quality of nephrite. It is commonly known as the toughest natural mineral on earth. Types of Nephrite and Their Colors The color of nephrite can vary depending on its source and quality. Commonly it is envisioned as an imperial green stone yet can hold almost any shade of green, blue, red, orange, black, white, violet, orange, brown and yellow. Various colors of nephrite jade are unique to their individual sources suc