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Jade Its Common Definition and Composition
Jade is also known as lichtgroen in the Netherlands, friponne in France, giada in Italy, jamelgo in Spain, and hagga in Sweden. It is usually used as a gem or an ornamental stone from either of the two silicate minerals jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite, with the chemical composition of sodium aluminum silicate or NaAl (SiO3)2, is an uncommon kind of jade. It is a kind of pyroxene a group of rock forming silicate minerals. Its natural colors are either white or green; the green one being the most valuable because of its rarity. Jadeites have been harvested in the regions of Myanmar, Japan, and Guatemala. Nephrite, which is a type of amphibole actinolite, on the other hand is the most common between two jade mineral compositions. It cost less than the jadeite and has a formula of Ca2 (Mg, Fe) 5Si8O22 (OH)2. It is produce from a calcium magnesium iron silicate and is a close relative to the asbestos. Its usual colors are white and dark green. Nephrite's main producers include New Zealand, Wyoming & California (in the United States), Turkistan, Siberia, China, Silesia, and British Columbia (in the Lillooet and Cassiar regions).
The Chinese, Japanese, and the pre-Colombian Mesoamericans considered jade as the most valuable of all gems. In China, for example, jade was applied in their five cardinal virtues - charity, modesty, courage, justice, and wisdom. Aside from that, ancient Chinese also used jade as a medicine because of its healing powers. Prehistoric people of Mexico, Switzerland, France, Greece, Egypt, Asia Minor, and New Zealand also used jade as one of their accessories.
Jades were originally used as a form of an axe and knife. Other prehistoric culture also used jade as a weapon because of its strong composition. The Mohs hardness (the resistance of a mineral to abrasion or scratching) of the jade is measured between 6.5 and 7.0.
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