Jadeite: Beautiful Yet Touch

While diamond is incredibly hard, or resistant to scratching, jadeite is exceptionally tough. That means jadeite is highly impact-resistant. Although diamond can scratch jadeite, jadeite is actually tougher than diamond. No wonder jadeite is said to protect its wearers!

FACTS

Mineral: Jadeite and Nephrite

Chemistry: NaAlSi2O6 and Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2

Color:  Green, white, orange, yellow, lavender, black

Refractive index: 1.666 to 1.680 (+/-0.008) and 1.606 to 1.632 (+0.009, 0.006)

Birefringence:  Usually not detectable

Specific gravity: 3.34 and 2.95

Mohs Hardness: 6.5 to 7 and 6.0 to 6.5