Jadeite

Jadeite may sound like the various semi-precious stones known informally as “jade,” but this incredibly rare gem is many times more valuable. Prized most when it is colored a deep, translucent green, Jadeite is mainly found in limited quantities in Myanmar.

In 1997, Christie’s auction house sold a Jadeite necklace for nearly $10 million. The highest quality “Imperial” Jadeite can sell for millions of dollars per carat when cut and polished. Sadly, many traders have passed off color-treated stones as true Jadeite.

Composition: Sodium, Aluminum, Iron, Silicon, Oxygen