Jades have a cultural importance to people of Asian culture, particularly for Chinese people, as they believed jades ward off evil spirits and bad luck. Jades are popularly made into charms, talisman and Buddha statues. As years go by, jades are now made into modern jewelry pieces. They are elegant accessories that are great for any occasion.

At the first thought of jade jewelries, you might think of those striking green-colored gems. This is actually just one kind of jade as they come in a number of variations and colors. In 1863, Alexis Damour, a mineralogist from France, researched about the two kinds of jade – Jadeite jade and Nephrite jade. These minerals actually have an entirely different composition but are both considered as jades.

Jadeite jade is the rarer and more valuable kind of jade, which makes it a lot more expensive. It's under the category of pyroxene. It has a pearly or glossy outer appearance and has a hardness of around 6.5 to 7. It comes in a variety of colors including green, yellow, white, red-orange, gray, brown, black, and lavender. It is mainly produced in Burma but can also be found in Russia, California in US, Guatemala and in Japan. Jadeite is actually a mineral that originates form metamorphic rocks that went through the metamorphism process at low temperature and high pressure. They usually come in lens-shaped bulks in serpentinite.

Nephrite jade are more common than jadeite jade, thus decreasing its monetary value. It comes in medium dark green hues with streaks of black. Some color variants include light green, yellow, brown, black, gray and white. It is under the mineral type of amphibole. This kind of jade is popularly used in China as carving materials because of its durability. Its hardness can go anywhere from 6-6.5. It has a silky or vitreous texture. The major sources of nephrite jade include Taiwan, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. Other countries that also produce this type of jade are Sin Kiang, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia, USA and Russia.

Now that you know how to distinguish the two types of jade, then you should know the four basic jade qualities that you should look out for when buying jewelries. .

Cutting – The shaping of the jade jewelries largely depends on the artist or jewelers who creates them. Patterns, design and cuts are very subjective, be sure to get one that speaks of your personality.

Color and tone – Jade colors should be uniform. The colors should be pure and of good quality.

Translucency- Jades can either be translucent or opaque. Those that are more valuable are translucent ones that are almost similar to the consistency of honey.

Texture – Jades can either be smooth or coarse. The high quality ones is clear and smooth without any sign of impurities.

When it comes to jade jewelry shopping there are a lot of options you can choose from. And what more, you can also find one that fits your budget. Jade jewelries are really a good addition to your line of accessories. Make a good choice and get one for yourself today.

Rock Ren is the owner of xaxe.com group. You can find more information at www.xaxe.com