Jade vs Aventurine: How to Tell the Two Green Stones Apart

Jade and green aventurine are different minerals. Jade is either nephrite or jadeite, two tough, fine-grained stones with a smooth, even lustre. Aventurine is a form of quartz filled with tiny reflective flakes that make it glitter. That glitter is the quickest way to tell the two apart.

The confusion is understandable. Both are green, both are cut into beads and domed cabochons, and aventurine is often sold under the name "Indian jade". This guide explains what each stone is, how to tell which one you are looking at, and what the difference means for price, wear and care.

What jade is

Jade is one name for two minerals. Until the nineteenth century they were treated as a single stone, and the trade still calls both jade.

• Nephrite is the more common of the two. Its colours run from creamy white to deep spinach green. It is the jade of early Chinese carving and of New Zealand pounamu.
• Jadeite is rarer and comes in a wider range of colours, including lavender and the vivid, translucent green often called imperial jade. Myanmar is the best-known source.

Both are made of tightly interlocked microscopic crystals. That structure is what makes jade so resistant to breaking, and why it could be carved into thin bangles, blades and ornaments long before metal tools were common.

What aventurine is

Aventurine is quartz that contains countless small, flat mineral inclusions. In green aventurine these are flakes of fuchsite, a chromium-bearing mica, which supply both the colour and the sparkle. The glittering effect has its own name, aventurescence.

Aventurine also occurs in orange, brown and blue, coloured by other inclusions, but green is by far the most familiar. India is a major source, which is where the name "Indian jade" comes from.

How to tell jade from aventurine

• Sparkle. Turn the stone slowly under a lamp. Aventurine shows pinpoint flashes from the flakes inside it. Jade does not glitter. Pale aventurine with few inclusions sparkles less, so look closely.
• Surface. Polished nephrite has a soft lustre often described as waxy or slightly greasy, and jadeite is a little glassier. Aventurine has the glassy shine of quartz, with a grainy look beneath the surface.
• Weight. Jade is denser than quartz. A jade bead feels a little heavier than an aventurine bead of the same size, although this is hard to judge without one of each in hand.
• Colour. Jade is often uneven in colour, with paler patches or veins. Aventurine tends towards a more uniform mid green.

A scratch test is not worth trying. The two stones are close in hardness, so it proves little and damages the piece. None of the checks above is conclusive on its own; for certainty, a gemmological laboratory can identify a stone by measuring its optical properties and density.

Hardness and toughness

Hardness and toughness are separate things. Hardness is resistance to scratching, measured on the Mohs scale. Toughness is resistance to chipping and breaking.

On hardness, the two are close. Nephrite is about 6 to 6.5, jadeite about 6.5 to 7 and aventurine, as a quartz, about 6.5 to 7. Aventurine is therefore slightly harder than nephrite and roughly level with jadeite, which surprises people who assume jade must be the harder stone.

On toughness, jade is well ahead. Its interlocked structure makes it one of the toughest gem materials known, more resistant to a knock than many harder gems. Both stones are suitable for jewellery worn regularly.

Price

Aventurine is plentiful and inexpensive. Nephrite generally costs more, and jadeite covers a very wide range: ordinary material is affordable, while the finest translucent green jadeite is among the most valuable gems in the world.

The practical point is that the name on the label matters. A stone described only as "Indian jade" is aventurine, and should be priced as aventurine.

Names that cause confusion

"Indian jade" is the most common misnomer, but not the only one. "New jade" usually refers to serpentine, and "Malaysia jade" to dyed quartz. None of these is jade. If a description uses a qualified name like these, ask the seller which mineral the stone is.

Jade and aventurine compared

	Jade	Green aventurine
Mineral	Nephrite or jadeite	Quartz with mica inclusions
Hardness (Mohs)	Nephrite about 6 to 6.5; jadeite about 6.5 to 7	About 6.5 to 7
Toughness	Exceptional	Good
Look	Waxy to glassy lustre, no glitter	Glassy lustre with glitter (aventurescence)
Weight in the hand	Denser, feels heavier	Lighter
Typical price	Moderate to very high	Low
Other names	Nephrite, jadeite	"Indian jade" (a misnomer)
Traditionally associated with	Virtue, harmony and good fortune	Luck and opportunity

The jade we set

We set jade in four pieces, each in 925 sterling silver and handmade in a workshop in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar. We do not currently sell aventurine.

• The Helen Jade Gemstone Bracelet, with blue topaz and raw sapphire.
• The Helen Jade Gemstone Ring, with aquamarine side stones.
• The Helen Jade Gemstones Choker, with sapphire and blue topaz.
• The Helen Multistone Silver Hoop Earrings, with jade, sapphire and blue topaz.

For what jade and the other stones we set are traditionally said to mean, see our guide to gemstone bracelet meanings.

Caring for jade and aventurine

Both stones need the same simple care. Wash them in lukewarm water with a drop of mild soap, wipe with a soft cloth and dry fully. Keep them away from household chemicals, strong heat, and ultrasonic and steam cleaners. Store each piece separately so that harder gems cannot scratch it. Our handmade jewellery care guide covers the silver setting.

Frequently asked questions

Is aventurine a type of jade?

No. Aventurine is a variety of quartz. Jade is either nephrite or jadeite, and neither is related to quartz.

Is "Indian jade" real jade?

No. "Indian jade" is a trade name for green aventurine. It is a genuine stone, but it is not jade.

Which is harder, jade or aventurine?

Aventurine is slightly harder than nephrite jade and about the same as jadeite. Jade is the tougher of the two, meaning it is less likely to chip or break.