New Jade Meaning
A guide for the history, meaning, and properties of New Jade. Stone for..
Repelling Negativity | Meditation | Discovery
Serpentine jade, or new jade, despite its name, is not actual jade; true jade is either jadeite or nephrite. When someone refers to new jade, they are referring to a variant of serpentine jade, and this is a part of the serpentine subgroup; furthermore, serpentine jade is not really a mineral, either, and it is considered to be a rock; moreover, serpentine jade is considered to be a false jade; consequently, it is not one of the two minerals considered to be real jade. Thus, new jade and serpentine jade are misleading terms. Unfortunately, they have stuck, and we refer to this stone as such not for deceptive reasons, but because that is how many people refer to it. There are, however, deceptive people out there.
When some people hear this about new jade or serpentine jade, it seems to shatter their view of the rock. While the serpentine subgroup does have minerals, serpentine jade is not one of them. So, on the one hand, we have something being called a jade, even though it isn't jade. On the other, we have something people call a mineral, but it's actually a rock. But this shouldn't change how you perceive this stone, as it is still quite unique.
Despite what you have heard, serpentine itself is a prized mineral, and high-quality specimens are used in carvings or jewelry. Serpentine jade, too, is used for carvings. It is not exactly as prized as high-quality serpentine, and it certainly pales in comparison to actual jade, but it works as a serviceable foundation for those who are learning how to cut stones. Since it isn't considered as valuable, some who are practicing on how to carve or cut stones might use it for practice. However, since serpentine is a subgroup, various stones within have different hardness and properties that don't necessarily make it consistent.
Because serpentine or serpentine jade can be dyed to look more like jade, there are some who will, unfortunately, try and pass the stone off as actual jade. It is for this reason why this rock is considered a "false jade" and why it even has "jade" in its name at all.
We, however, like serpentine "jade." It is quite a pretty stone and can be carved fairly easily by those who have practiced. As a result, we have quite a few carvings in our store, and you are likely to find serpentine "jade" or new "jade" readily available at shows in a carved form.
You might be wondering why this cannot be considered jade at all. While one might think it's because of the color, which is somewhat minty in lesser qualities, it's not color that decides whether a stone is a jade or not; indeed, jade can appear in other colors. Instead, serpentine "jade" is not a mineral, and that is a rather important distinction when discussing gemstones and minerals.
Many in the spiritual community use this stone for meditation purposes. They believe that this stone can bring good luck, owing such attribution to the long-believed lucky qualities of jade. However, these claims are not backed by modern science.
Scientific Information
Hardness: 6
Lustre: Vitreous
Crystal System: N/A. This is not a mineral.
Etymology: Serpentine and jade. Jade from "piedra de ijada" meaning "stone of the flank."
Location: North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia
The Wrap Up
Regardless of its status, this stone is used for crystal décor, as there are all sorts of pretty carvings and cuts that people make out of it.
Some believe serpentine "jade" or "new jade" have metaphysical properties or meaning that is beyond what one may observe.
In any case, we thank you for reading this blog, and we do hope that you learned something.
Sources
Manutchehr-Danai, Mohsen. Dictionary of Gems and Gemology. Germany, Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2013.
The Journal of Gemmology. United Kingdom, Gemmological Association of Great Britain., 1963.