Thanks to the all FOJ members, this is really a good jade website. Can somebody tell me how to identify polar, cassiar and normal green jade? also how to grade them(AA, A, B, etc)?

Thanks

David Cui

Unfortunately, Polar Jade has virtually been mined out as of last year. With only a few smallish exceptions, their offerings were dark nearly opaque qreen with the unwanted white streaks prevalent, a far cry from the beautiful translucent green of the previous decade. Cassiar is still putting out some minor tonnage from the tailings mountains of the famous Cassiar asbestos mine. They are re-working these tailings at a limited rate due to the permafrost factor...At the most, they can excavate down 6 feet, much less on years with late spring/summers. Cassiar jade has a range of color, from the optimum grass green, to a translucent black, but all that I saw had a tendency toward a high chrome content. Some of the samples just danced with the intensity of the flecks of chrome/green. One black one in particular struck my fancy as it had the contrast of sprays of that brighest of greens with the chrome. Beautiful!! I wasnt' privy to the Polar jade in its heyday, but I know that the Cassiar jade is usually harder than average nephrite. Trick of the trade to test a cut but not polished piece is to wet the jade, then rub a circle hard with your finger. Softer jade will make a white paste from the broken ends of microscopic fibers of jade. Most of the jade I saw was from the Kutcho area, and it would usually be fairly hard, creating a white milk looking fluid on the aforementioned technique. Cassiar jade was invariably so hard that rub as you would, the water you wet the stone with came away looking just like water. The harder the jade, the brighter and easier the polish... Amazing stuff. Not that Kutcho doesn't have some great jade, but Cassiar is king, no doubt.