Sources of Jade

Abstract

Published reports of discoveries of jade deposits— present-day and ancient—may cumulatively give the impression that jade is common almost everywhere in the Earth’s crust. This is at once true and misleading. Enormous quantities, sufficient to leave traces of artifacts scattered almost everywhere, have been found. Unfortunately, the bulk of it is poor to mediocre in quality; only a relatively small portion is sufficiently translucent, well-colored, and fine-textured to qualify as prized carving material. Considering the enormous demand for it and the few places where it occurs in a high-quality form, jade is a very rare gem material.