How Jadeite Jade Is Graded: Color, Translucency and Type

How Jadeite Jade Is Graded: Color, Translucency and Type

Once you know what jadeite jade is, the next question is: What makes one piece more valuable than another? For beginners, three simple ideas are enough: color, translucency and treatment.

Colour: The Heart of Jadeite Jade

For jadeite, colour is the first thing everyone looks at.

• More desirable jadeite colours

  • Fresh, bright greens (not dull or muddy)

  • Even colour without too many harsh patches

  • Interesting mixes like soft icy background with gentle green “veins”

• Less desirable (but still charming) colours

  • Very brownish, greyish or dirty-looking green

  • Very patchy areas that look unbalanced

You don’t need the rarest “imperial” green to enjoy jade. The key is to choose a jadeite colour you truly love and that feels harmonious to your eye.

Translucency: The Inner Glow

Another big factor is how light passes through the jade.

• Higher-quality jadeite has a soft, inner glow. Light seems to sit inside the stone, not just on the surface.

• More opaque jadeite can still be pretty and more affordable, but it usually sits in a different price tier.

When you look at a jadeite bangle or pendant in good light, notice if it looks:

• Cloudy and flat, or

• Soft, slightly glowing and dimensional

That subtle glow is part of what jade lovers fall in love with.

Texture: Fine vs Grainy

Jadeite has a crystal structure. When the texture is fine and tight, the stone looks smooth and refined. Coarser texture can appear more grainy or “sugary”.

You don’t need to analyse texture like a gemologist, but you can simply ask:

Does this jadeite look smooth, even and calm — or rough and noisy?

Type A, B, C Jadeite: Natural vs Treated

In the jade world, you’ll often see these terms:

• Type A jadeite – natural jadeite that has only been cleaned and waxed. No chemical bleaching, no polymer filling, no added dye. This is what most jade lovers prefer.

• Type B jadeite – filled with polymer to improve clarity and might be chemically bleached to remove impurities.

• Type C jadeite – dyed to change the colour.