Buddha's Hand Citron Jade Carving

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

symbolizes happiness, longevity, and good fortune

symbolizes happiness, longevity, and good fortune

Name/Title

Buddha's Hand Citron Jade Carving

Entry/Object ID

2009.64.6

Description

Chemical Composition: Ca2(Mg,Fe2)5Si8O22(OH)2 Crystal System: Monoclinic System Description: Common name : Jade rose . Chemical comp.:Ca2(Mg,Fe2)5Si8O22(OH)2 Class Silicates Location: Unknown Description : A green Jade rose on a black wooden stand. Physical Properties: •Chemistry: Ca2(Mg, Fe)5Si8O22(OH)2 , Calcium Magnesium Iron Silicate Hydroxide. •Class: Silicates •Subclass: Inosilicates •Group: Amphibole •Uses: asbestos and as ornamental stone used for carvings and semi-precious to precious stone used in jewelry •Specimens Actinolite is a relatively common mineral in some metamorphic rocks. It belongs to a series with the minerals tremolite and ferro-actinolite. A series occurs when ions can freely substitute between each other. In this case, when iron is predominant the mineral is ferro-actinolite and when magnesium is predominant the mineral is tremolite. Actinolite is the intermediate member. A variety of actinolite is composed of microscopically fibrous crystals (asbestos) and is called byssolite. Other minerals also form asbestos such as serpentine and the minerals of the series mentioned above. Serpentine asbestos is more widely used and of a better grade in general. Although asbestos has been shown to cause cancer in humans when inhaled in high enough concentrations, it still has many valuable applications. Asbestos is used for fire retardant materials and brake shoes and pads. Its prior use as insulation has been all but eliminated due to health concerns. A variety of actinolite, nephrite, is one of the two minerals called jade. The other jade mineral is jadeite. Jade has been used for eons in China and Central America as an ornamental and religious stone of deep significance. The nephrite jade was used mostly in China, although both have been used in both regions. Nephrite is more abundant than jadeite and has few color varieties, ranging only from creamy white to green. Simple actinolite occasionally forms interesting crystal habits and specimens. Crystals can be similar to hornblende, but are always translucent or even transparent. Typically they are prismatic, flattened and elongated. Crystal specimens of actinolite can make very interesting mineral specimens. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: •Color is usually green.white or gray. •Luster is vitreous. •Transparency: examples are translucent to transparent. •Crystal System is monoclinic; 2/m •Crystal Habits include the flattened prismatic and elongated crystal with a dome-like termination that is actually a two of the four faces of a prism. Also as a fibrous mass (asbestos) and as a fibrous and very compact mass (nephrite jade). •Cleavage: is perfect in two directions at close to 60- and 120-degree angles. •Fracture is splintery to uneven. •Hardness is 5.5 - 6. •Specific Gravity is approximately 2.9 - 3.3 (very slightly above average for translucent minerals). •Streak is white. •Associated Minerals are quartz, lawsaonite, epidote and glaucophane. •Other Characteristics: the compact nephrite variety is extremely tough and is actually stronger than steel. •Notable Occurrences include the Lake Baikal Region, Russia; China; New Zealand; British Columbia, Canada and Taiwan. •Best Field Indicators are toughness (nephrite jade), fibrosity (asbestos), typical green color, crystal habit and hardness. Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery MINERALS Groupings Birthstones Gemstones By Name Framed Unframed By Class Carbonates Elements Halides Oxides Phosphates Silicates Sulfates Sulfides Fluorescent Minerals Properties Rocks Search View Cart Books This Site Awarded Available ACTINOLITE specimens: see this List of ALL specimens including SOLD ones Fracture: Uneven Hardness: 7 Quartz Luster: Vitreous Rock Origin: Post-depositional Rock Type: Metamorphic Specific Gravity: 2.9-3.3 Streak: White Variety: VARIETY INFORMATION: •VARIETY OF: both jadeite and nephrite •USES: Gemstone and ornamental stone. •COLOR: shades of emerald green as well as white, gray, yellow, orange and violet. •INDEX OF REFRACTION: is approximately 1.66 (jadeite) and 1.62 (nephrite) •HARDNESS: 6.5 - 7 •CLEAVAGE: does not apply due to massive nature of jade •CRYSTAL SYSTEM: monoclinic •SPECIMENS Jade is a name that was applied to ornamental stones that were being brought to Europe from China and Central America. It wasn't until 1863 that it was realized that the name "Jade" was being applied to two different minerals. The two minerals are both exquisite for the purposes that jade is put to task and are hard to distinguish from each other. So what to do? Leave it alone and call them both Jade! Jadeite is almost never found in individual crystals and is composed of microscopic interlocking crystals that produce a very tough material. Nephrite is actually not a mineral, but a variety of the mineral actinolite. The nephrite variety is composed of fibrous crystals inter-twinned in a tough compact mass. Other actinolite varieties are quite different from nephrite. The toughness of jade is remarkable. It has a strength greater than steel and was put to work by many early civilizations for axes, knives and weapons. It was later that jade became a symbolic stone used in ornaments and other religious artifacts during the eons. Today jade is still valued for its beauty. Its many colors are appreciated, but it's the emerald green color (that jadeite produces so well) that is highly sought after by artwork collectors. This emerald green jade called "Imperial Jade" is colored by chromium. Other colors are influenced by iron (green and brown) and manganese is thought to produce the violet colors. Nephrite is usually only green and creamy white, while jadeite can have the full range of jade's colors. Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery MINERALS By Name Groupings (By Class, Gemstones, Birthstones, etc.) Properties

Collection

RAGM Misc. Jade & Amber Collection

Acquisition

Accession

2009.64

Source or Donor

RAGM Jade and Amber

Acquisition Method

Gift

Location

Location

Display Case

FS-20

Room

Frieda Hall

Building

Frieda Smith Hall

Category

Permanent

Moved By

Curtis Gardner

Date

May 3, 2023

Notes

Added current location while cleaning shelf

Location

Cabinet

Case #60

Hallway

Discovery Hall

Building

Crater Rock Museum

Category

Permanent