What is raw jade? How to distinguish real jade from fake jade
Key Takeaways
- Raw jade stone is a natural gemstone favored for its unique beauty and feng shui value. With diverse colors and high durability, raw jade is widely used. However, to buy quality stone,...
Raw jade stone is a natural gemstone favored for its unique beauty and feng shui value. With diverse colors and high durability, raw jade is widely used. However, to buy quality stone, you need to know how to distinguish real from fake and refer to market prices. So how much does raw jade stone cost? How should you choose to buy it? Let Jemmia explore the details right below.
What is Raw Jade Stone?
Raw jade stone is a natural gemstone that has not been processed or polished, usually mined directly from quarries and kept in its original form. This is a form of jade, a mineral with high durability, commonly used in jewelry making, feng shui items, and artistic sculpture.
Characteristics of raw jade stone:
- Natural shape: Usually large blocks, irregular in shape, and may be cracked or contain impurities.
- Skin layer: The outer layer can be thick and opaque, concealing the true quality inside, which makes valuing raw stone very difficult.
- Not classified or processed: Not yet polished, cleaned, or cut.
- Potential value: If it contains high-quality jadeite inside (Type A jade), its value can be very high after crafting.
Jade stone has two main types:
- Jadeite: A premium, rare type with high value. It comes in diverse colors such as green, purple, white, and yellow.
- Nephrite: A more common type, mainly green or milky white, highly durable but less valuable than Jadeite.
Raw jade stone often comes in large blocks, irregular in shape, and may be cracked or contain impurities
Uses of Raw Jade Stone
Applications in feng shui
Raw jade stone is considered one of the gemstones with high feng shui value. According to Eastern beliefs, jade brings:
- Luck and prosperity: Especially green jade, which helps attract positive energy and wealth.
- Peace and health: The stone helps balance energy, reduce stress, and improve the spirit.
- Energy balance: Placing jade stone in the home helps create harmony and ward off negative energy.
Therefore, raw jade stone is often used to make bracelets and pendants to carry with you.
See more: Top Most Expensive Jade Bracelets in the World
Crafting High-End Jewelry
High-quality raw jade stones are crafted into valuable jewelry. Jade is commonly used to make:
- Rings, bracelets, earrings, pendants.
- Feng shui jewelry, helping the wearer receive positive energy from the stone.
- High-end jewelry, especially Type A Jadeite from Myanmar, which is very valuable.
Raw jade stone is often crafted into high-end jewelry
Used in carving and stone statues
With large blocks of raw jade stone, artisans can craft them into:
- Buddha statues, feng shui statues (Pixiu, Dragon Turtle, Three-Legged Toad).
- Display items such as crystal spheres, decorative vases, dragon seals.
- Handicrafts, such as teapots, bowls and plates, stone engraved paintings.
How to identify real and fake raw jade stone
Distinguishing by the naked eye
Observe the color and stone veins:
- Real jade has natural colors that are not uniform, with gentle color diffusion effects and faint but natural veins.
- Fake stone often has overly uniform color, unnaturally dark or light shades, veins that look artificial, and it may fade when soaked in water or rubbed.
Check transparency and lighting:
- Real stone can range from cloudy to semi-transparent; when placed under strong light, you can see the depth and natural structure of the stone.
- Fake stone is often opaque or overly transparent like plastic; under light, the surface appears artificial and lacks natural light effects.
You can check whether raw jade stone is real or fake with the naked eye or professional methods
Check using professional methods
Check under strong light:
- Place the stone under strong light or a flashlight to observe the internal structure.
- Real stone has natural color streaks that do not follow a fixed pattern and shows reflective light effects.
- Fake stone often has uniform color, no natural light effect, or may sometimes show air bubbles if it is compressed stone or plastic.
Use a magnifying glass and a density meter:
- Magnifying glass (10x - 20x): Observe stone veins, air bubbles, or signs of treatment. Real stone has natural veins and no air bubbles.
- Density meter: Real jade stone has a density of 2.9 – 3.3 g/cm³. If the density is much lower, it may be fake or treated stone.
A small tip that Jemmia wants to share with you is that you can also use a sharp object to lightly scratch the surface. Real jade has high hardness, so it does not scratch easily, while fake stone will be more easily scratched or peeled. However, this is only a tip; if you want accuracy, use more professional methods.
See more: 5 most accurate ways to identify natural gemstones
Current price of raw jade stone
The price of raw jade stone (marble stone) on the market today is not fixed and depends on many factors such as quality, color, origin, and size. Below is some reference information:
- Large raw white jade stone: This type of stone is mined in Nghe An Province, Vietnam, and is commonly used in sculpture and interior/exterior cladding for high-end projects. The specific price is not clearly stated and usually requires contacting the supplier directly for detailed information.
- Imported natural marble stone: Imported marble from Italy, Spain, Greece, etc., ranges from 2,000,000 VND/m² to 4,000,000 VND/m² for common types. More premium types, such as White Volakas, White Statuario, and White Calacatta, are priced from 4,000,000 VND/m² to 20,000,000 VND/m².
- Domestic natural raw jade stone: Domestic natural jade stones, such as Nghe An white marble, usually cost less than imported stone. However, the specific price needs to be determined by contacting the supplier directly.
The price of raw jade stone depends on origin, quality, color, and size
Please note that the prices above are for reference only and may change depending on the time, stone quality, and supplier. To get the most accurate and up-to-date information, you should contact reputable suppliers directly for consultation and detailed quotations.
Frequently asked questions about raw jade stone
Is raw jade stone good for feng shui?
Yes, jade helps balance energy and attract luck.
How do you know if raw jade stone is a premium type?
Check the transparency, color, and origin.
Can raw jade stone be used to make jewelry?
Yes, but it needs to go through processing and polishing.
What common colors does raw jade stone come in?
Green, white, purple, yellow, black.
See more:
- 6 most accurate ways to identify real and fake jade stone
- What Are Gemstones? Top 13 Most Popular Gemstones for Jewelry
- Latest natural gemstone price list 2025
Raw jade stone not only carries natural beauty but also contains profound feng shui meaning, helping attract wealth, luck, and peace. Owning a quality jade stone will bring many values both aesthetically and spiritually. However, since there are many fake stones on the market, buyers need to carefully learn how to identify them and choose reputable suppliers to ensure quality. Follow Jemmia to learn more useful knowledge.
