gems, jade, jadeite, fei cui, Burma, cause of color

Jadeite is a material which is often encountered during the normal course of commerce by the trade gemmologist. Variations of the same colour in one object are not uncommon, but two distinct colours in adjoining zones are not so often seen. This latter type of variation is most often encountered in material where the outer skin of a rough boulder has been subjected to weathering. These colour variations are commonly from greens to browns and brownish-orange. In the cover illustration two interesting examples of colour variation are seen.