Jade vs. Emerald: Both Green, But What Are The Differences?

Jade and emerald gemstones have been prized for their calming and luscious sage appearances far back in human history. While both coloured stones are green (jade also having white, purple, grey, yellow, and even red varieties), the similarities mostly end here. The compositions, hardness, source, and associated symbolisms of emerald and jade vastly differ.

Emerald is a green gemstone that has been treasured as early as ancient Egyptian times. It’s a variety of the beryl mineral that is faceted to display its brilliance. Colombian emeralds are the most desired emerald variety in the world for their premium colour, clarity, and distinct green hue. With rich emerald deposits, Colombia is one of the largest miners of emerald in the world, supplying between 60% to 80% of the coloured stone in the world market. Lab created emeralds such as those produced by BIRON® Gems are optically and chemically identical to mined emeralds.

This verdant gemstone is the January mystical birthstone in Tibetan tradition and May birthstone in the traditional birthstone chart. It’s a popular alternative gem to, or used to complement, crisp white diamonds in engagement rings.

Revered as the “imperial gem” in Chinese dynasties, the art of faceting jade has never been a common practice. Throughout history, it has been formed by craftsmen into ritual objects, decorative items, and pendants. The precious mineral was also treasured amongst Mesoamerican cultures.

Jade is only a general term, and is distinguished by “nephrite” and “jadeite”. Only when the ore contains more than 50% sodium aluminium silicate is a mineral considered jade:

• Nephrite: More common, softer, comes in yellow, green, or white, and is less hard than emerald
• Jadeite: Harder than nephrite, rarer than nephrite, and wider range of colours

Jade is the March mystical birthstone. It doesn’t appear on the traditional birthstone chart. This is likely due to the precious mineral’s cultural significance being rooted in Asia and Latin America, versus America, where the modern birthstone chart was standardised.

Silicates are minerals which combine the two most abundant elements in Earth’s crust: oxygen and silicon. Emerald is a silicate made up of beryllium and aluminium.

As mentioned, what we call jade actually refers to two similar-looking but distinct minerals. Nephrite (silicate of magnesium and calcium) has a grainy chemical structure, while jadeite (silicate of sodium and aluminium) has a tightly interlocking crystal structure. Jadeite’s crystal structure makes it more durable.

In general, emerald gemstones convey a more vivid green hue, partly due to their heightened transparency. Jade stone is more opaque, presenting more muted tones. The former usually contain inclusions, which are trapped gas bubbles, liquids, or other minerals that cloud the emerald’s appearance.

Gem quality emeralds are sourced from Brazil, Zambia, Pakistan, Australia, and Colombia. The various mine locations produce distinct colour variations, such as bluish emeralds from Zambia.

Jade only occurs in metamorphic, that is, volcanic rocks. There are large jade deposits in China, Guatemala, Myanmar, Canada, and Siberia.

Both jade stone and emeralds get their green appearance from chromium impurities. An emerald is classified as such by its rich, saturated green. In contrast, due to jade’s translucent-opaqueness, light doesn’t pass all the way through it. This gives polished jade’s various violet, white, and orange-red hues its distinct soft, blurry look.

Emerald is one of the four most sought-after stones, along with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. Its price can vary wildly depending on quality and particular blue-green hue; in general, the highest quality emeralds priced at USD$100,000 per carat, are more expensive than jade. Ethically created emeralds of the same quality are a fraction of the price. Jade’s value depends on its colour, transparency, and texture, but also the craftsmanship that went into carving it.

Emerald has a hardness of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, while jade is slightly softer, at 6.5 to 7 (nephrite is softer than jadeite, at 6 to 6.5 hardness). However, emerald gemstones tend to have imperfect cleavage, which makes them vulnerable to chipping. Jade rarely has cleavage, although it has fractures that give it a pleasant sugar-like sparkle. The lack of cleavage makes jade more resistant to daily wear and tear.

Lab grown emeralds can be less brittle than natural emeralds, as they’re created in a highly controlled hydrothermal growth process.

Jade green and emerald green both refer to precious natural materials appreciated for their unique colours and meaningful symbolism of harmony and fertility, respectively. Yet, they vary greatly in chemical structure, geological source, and appearance. With greater knowledge of these two verdant stones, increase your awareness as an eco-conscious shopper.