Jadeite and Nephrite Jade
Genuine jade can only be two types of stones: jadeite and nephrite. Both jadeite and nephrite are the only stones in the world considered to be jade. All other stones are imitation jade.
Jadeite Jade
Jadeite is considered the "King of Jade". The highest quality jadeite can be seen at exclusive auctions ranging in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for one piece. Jadeite comes in virtually every color of the rainbow ranging from green, lavender, purple, red, orange, yellow, brown, white, black, and gray. Because of its rich colors and varieties in translucency each piece of jade is unique - no two pieces are the same.
Examples of the variations of jadeite colors
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Nephrite Jade