"WE ALL THINK WE KNOW JADE when we see it, but the word “Jade” actually refers to two very different stones that look very much alike. China’s historic jade is Nephrite, famous as the toughest stone on Earth and known for its rich resinous texture when polished.
Nephrite is the jade that B.C. has in abundance. Its chemical structure is completely different from jadeite, found primarily in Myanmar (Burma). Jadeite is beautiful, and rare, and even though it’s a relative newcomer in the Asian jade trade (the 1700s) it became China’s pre-eminent gemstone over the past two centuries, and that’s at the root of the confusion between the two stones. (The Chinese use the word “yu” to refer to both kinds of jade.) ....
Jade touches a deep vein in Chinese culture and belief, rooted in 5,000 years of history. “Jade,” says UBC archaeologist Zichuan Jing, “is associated with a certain type of power, individual power. Not only physical power but spiritual power. Sometimes we say jade has been treated as a bridge to immortality in the Chinese society.” It was the gemstone of royalty, with Chinese emperors supposedly speaking to the gods through holes in disks of jade. “One can put a price on gold,” goes a Chinese saying, “but jade is priceless.” Still, within B.C.’s $6-billion mining and exploration industry, the stone occupies such a tiny place that mining people scratch their heads and shrug when you mention it. Mention jade to the B.C. Mining Association and you draw a blank. That’s no surprise. After all, it generates barely $10 million in annual revenue, it has few if any industrial uses, it’s not a status benchmark like gold or diamonds in the West and known deposits of high-quality nephrite are scarce. It’s only the Chinese obsession with it, and the staggering growth of Chinese consumerism, that makes it worthy of attention. More Here :
http://www.bcbusiness.ca/natural-resources/green-giants-jade-in-bc
