Shop Shop Water Jade from Mason-Kay Jade

Translucent jades are the toughest jades, putting ice jade and water jade as some of the most durable jadeite jade on the market.

Ice Jade

Jadeite jade (also called 'fei cui'), one of the two gemstones called "jade" in addition to nephrite jade, is comprised primarily of the minerals jadeite, omphacite, and kosmochlor (or a combination of these) when green. When colorless, the primary mineral in jadeite jade is jadeite.

Jadeite is allochromatic. This means that the color of jadeite is determined by the presence of trace elements in it's structure. When trace amounts of manganese or titanium are present, the color may be lavender. When trace amounts of chromium or iron are present, the color may be green. But when there are no trace elements, jadeite is colorless.

 Colorless jadeite can be either white jade or ice jade.

White jade is opaque and colorless, and may sometimes have bright hints of green called "moss-in-snow." Overall, white jadeite jade is very affordable -- unlike white nephrite jade, which is historically the most valuable color of nephrite jade.

When colorless jade is translucent, however, it's considered ice jade.

Ice jade is a durable alternative to moonstone, and a common jade favorite for alternative engagement ring styles. While it doesn't have exactly the same phenomenon of adularescence as moonstone, ice jade does have an ethereal inner glow when cut properly. Ice jade represents purity and renewal, and is the third most valued color of jadeite jade.

Water Jade

Water jade is also called icy green jade, and is characterized by it's high level of translucence and light green color. Water jade can be highly valuable when the green color is even.

Water jade is aptly named because it looks like water. It has an inner glow, a glass luster, and might even look like water when blue-green in color. The pendant shown above is considered water jade, and some might say it has "floating flowers" referring to the darker inclusions that appear to be "floating" in the "water."