Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite, actinolite or ferro-actinolite, with the chemical formula Ca2(Mg, Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2. It is one of two different mineral species called jade, the other being jadeite, which is a variety of pyroxene. Nephrite jade shows mainly grays and greens, and occasionally yellows, browns, black or white, and is an ornamental stone used in carvings, beads or cabochon-cut gemstones. It is also the official state mineral of Wyoming. In this atlas it is the mineral species behind nephrite jade.
Facts
Chemical Formula Hardness (Mohs)Commonly cited range is 6.0 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale; 6.25, the midpoint, is used here. Classification
Crystal System Classification UseSculpture and Ornamental 1 Connections
Classified As
Crystallizes In System
In Discipline
In the Other Atlases
Mineral Species Of
Also in Divinity Atlas: of this mineral species.
Sources
1. Nephrite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationNephrite, lead paragraph
Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite, actinolite or ferro-actinolite
Nephrite, article text
Nephrite is also the official state mineral of Wyoming.
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