Jadeite or nephrite; will the real jade please stand up?

Prior to 1863, jade was simply jade. At that time, however, chemists discovered that there were actually two different rocks that had been claiming the title since the dawn of time: Jadeite from Mynamar (the country formerly known as Burma) and nephrite found in China. Since both had been considered jade for so many thousands of years, it made sense to let both stones keep their share of the name. But, there are differences, and here they are:

Jadeite is the more valuable of the two jades and is used for most of the top quality pieces available in today's market. Although Mynamar is known for the best jadeite in the world, it can also be found in Russia, Central America, Japan and even California (don't expect a California jadeite "rush" anytime soon, though.) In top quality stones, jade from jadeite can emit a rich emerald-green color and deep translucence rivaling that found in star sapphires and rubies. These elite specimens are also known as Imperial jade. Jadeite also grows in a far wider variety than nephrite. From the many shades of green, to lavender, black, orange, white, gray and even into more reddish tones, jadeite has proven itself to be the more well rounded of the two stones bearing the name jade.

Nephrite, on the other hand, is not to be undersold. It can be found in almost as many colors as jadeite. Nephrite was the main source for China's jade for many centuries, but it is also indigenous of New Zealand, Taiwan, Canada, Australia, Germany and the United States, to name a few. These days, nephrite jade is most commonly used for sculpture and shaped pieces.