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Nephrite

Silicate Minerals

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
Kind
Mineral 1
Chemical Formula
Ca2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 1
Hardness (Mohs)
6.25 1
Commonly cited range is 6.0 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale; 6.25, the midpoint, is used here.
Classification
Crystal System
Monoclinic 1
Classification
Silicate Mineral 1
Use
Sculpture and Ornamental 1
Connections

Classified As

Entity-backed identity for the material classification this material already carries as an enum fact, pointing at the class subcategory of the same name. The enum fact itself stays on the entity unchanged.

Crystallizes In System

Entity-backed identity for the crystal system this mineral already carries as an enum fact, phase 3 bucket conversion (docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md, w-bucketconv-divmore2-0929). The original fact stays on the entry unchanged.

In Discipline

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Nephrite (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation
  • Nephrite, 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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