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Jade
A compact, opaque stone ranging in color from dark green, to yellow to almost white. The term is applied to specimens cut from both jadeite and nephrite. Jadeite, the less common and more highly prized of the two minerals, is a silicate of sodium and aluminum, usually containing some iron, calcium, and magnesium. It has a hardness ranging from 6.5 to 7; it is extremely tough and difficult to break. Polished jadeite has a vitreous luster. It is found chiefly in eastern Asia in Burma, as well as in sections of Tibet and southern China. Nephrite is a silicate of calcium and magnesium, with a small amount of iron replacing part of the magnesium. It is a tough, compact variety of the mineral tremolite with a hardness of 6 to 6.5. Polished nephrite has an oily luster. It is found in Alaska, Mexico, New Zealand, Siberia, and Turkestan. Jade was used in ancient times for weapons, utensils, and ornaments. A variety of jade called axstone is used by the natives of the South Sea islands for making hatchets. Jade has always been prized by the Chinese and Japanese as the most precious of all stones. The most beautiful specimens of carved jade in the form of ornamental pieces, such as vases, bowls, tablets, and statues, many of which are now museum pieces, were made in China.
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