Is All Jade Green?

We sometimes say "jade green" to mean a certain kind of green color, and indeed most jade is green. But not all, for pure jade is actually white!

Jade is found in two different minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Pure jade in either form is white, but other substances mixed into the mineral give it its color — in jadeite, it's chromium, while in nephrite, it's iron.

The Chinese have treasured jade for thousands of years, and developed jade carving to a fine art. But strangely enough, there is no jade at all in China! All the jade carved in China has come from Burma and other nearby countries.

The largest piece of jade ever mined was a boulder weighing more than 63,300 pounds!