Nephrite Jade Crystals - British Columbia
AAA-grade nephrite Jade crystals in larger sizes.
Nephrite jade is one of the toughest known materials. In geology, toughness should not be confused with hardness, which describes how easy it is to scratch one mineral with another.
Jade is tough because its crystals interlock in a dense, fibrous structure, making it very difficult to break. The stone's toughness can also make it a challenging mineral to cut and polish.
It's not uncommon for some jade to have natural dips or ridges, even when polished to a high standard. This is because of how it forms. Its minute crystals grow as tightly interwoven fibres, almost like natural rope. Because the fibres lock together so firmly, jade doesn’t cut or grind smoothly, and can be difficult to shape, with tools often dragging instead of slicing through cleanly.
Achieving a perfectly even finish takes more time and more skilled workmanship.
These natural dips or uneven areas are not the result of poor workmanship but part of how jade responds to being cut and polished.
In a rock tumbler, jade behaves differently from many stones. Some areas grind down more slowly than others, so a piece may come out beautifully polished but not completely smooth. Longer tumbling rarely changes this, because the uneven surface comes from the mineral’s structure.
Polishing jade individually can sometimes be the only way to achieve a completely smooth, uniform finish, but it's far more time-consuming. This level of craftsmanship is one reason why hand-polished jade can be expensive.
Tumbled stones are designed to be affordable, so putting that level of workmanship into every piece isn’t practical.
Not all nephrite jade is identical, and the arrangement and size of its interlocking crystals can affect appearance, translucency and toughness. Some jade has a more uniform fibrous structure with fewer natural variations. These stones tend to grind down more evenly, so even in a rock tumbler, an almost perfect finish can be achieved.
Although classed as large-sized tumbled stones, the size of these Nephrite Jade crystals does vary from piece to piece. We have, therefore, split them into medium and large.
Iolite
