Nephrite

About Nephrite

One of two minerals sold as jade, an amphibole of the tremolite actinolite series. Its interlocking fibers make it one of the toughest natural materials known. In China it was carved by Neolithic cultures such as Hongshan and Liangzhu, thousands of years before jadeite arrived from Burma. The Maori of New Zealand prize it as pounamu. British Columbia and Siberia are major modern sources. The name comes from the Greek word for kidney, from an old belief that it cured kidney ailments.