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Jade refers, actually, to two chemically different stones: jadeite, a pyroxene or a silica-bearing mineral, and nephrite, an amphibole, or a ferro-magnesium silicate. Although different, they share many common characteristics. The Chinese were aware of the difference by the mid-1700's while, in Europe, the technical differences were first published in 1863. We regard both forms simply as "jade."
Courtesy of Mason Kay
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