nephrite

[ne′frīt]

(mineralogy)

An exceptionally tough, compact, fine-grained, greenish or bluish amphibole constituting the less valuable type of jade; formerly worn as a remedy for kidney diseases. Also known as greenstone; kidney stone.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Nephrite

(Greek nephros, “kidney”; in antiquity it was believed to be a remedy for kidney disease), a mineral variety of actinolite and tremolite, occurring as a compact microcrystalline aggregate with a minutely fibrous, felted structure. Extremely tough, nephrite readily acquires a polish. Its color varies from milky white or greenish to dark green, sometimes exhibiting mottled patterns owing to the inclusion of other minerals. It has been valued as a semiprecious stone since antiquity; tools and art objects have been fashioned out of it in various countries, particularly China, Burma, and India.

Nephrite is formed during the metamorphism of basic rocks, such as serpentinites and pyroxene and amphibole schists. It is generally extracted from alluvial deposits, where it occurs in the form of pebbles and large boulders. Major deposits of the mineral are found in the USSR (Vostochnyi Saian, the Baikal Region), China (Kunlun Mountains, basins of the Ho-t’ien and Yarkand rivers), New Zealand, and Polynesia.

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References in periodicals archive

The Smithsonian specimens included diamonds from Texas, Indiana and Brazil, a kunzite from Pala, two faceted kunzites from North Carolina (!), two faceted vesuvianites from Italy, a Michigan copper, Siberian nephrite, numerous uraniferous specimens from Czechoslovakia and Germany, and a synthetic emerald from I.

Martin Leo Ehrmann, (1904-1972)

Sea The Stars' half-brother was sent off the 8-11 favourite to add to his Listed debut victory, but found Nephrite, trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by son Joseph (inset), a length and a half too strong.

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Addressing a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday, tribal elder Daud Mohmand said that local tribesmen had developed serious differences over the ownership of nephrite mines but the administration was reluctant to resolve the issue.

Mohmand admin asked to resolve mine ownership dispute

These include salt, coal, copper, gold, iron, chromite, bauxite and various gemstones like peridot, aquamarine, topaz, ruby, emerald, rare-earth minerals bastnaesite, xenotime, sphene, tourmaline, jade, onyx, marble, granite nephrite and many types of quartz.

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A silver and nephrite heart-shaped box containing a bean carried by the Gulf Stream from the Caribbean Islands to the Isle of Uist is estimated at PS300-PS500.

Tim sells bargains he hunted down; They're not going for a song but the genial host of Bargain Hunt is parting with some of his antique collection

Dagger (khankjar), mid 17th century, Mughal, India, nephrite steel, rubies, ht 34.5cm; scabbard, 19th century, India, wood, textile, gold.

Asian Art in London: Matthew Wilcox selects his highlights of the event

Similarly the region is rich in Gypsum with 200 million tons, Chromite 10, Manganese 5, Silica Sand 600, Dolomite 11, Quartz 3, Cement grade limestone 800, Laterite 20, and Nephrite 10 million tons respectively.

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Nephrite, an iron silicate, is another form of jade, and was an important material in Chinese art for more than 1,000 years.

Quality never becomes jaded; Jade is a symbol of perfection, beloved of emperors, but did you know there is more than one type - and not all of it is green?

The same dealer has a King George VI coronation royal trumpeter brooch set throughout with sapphires, rubies and diamonds mounted in 18ct gold by the Goldsmiths & Silversmiths Company Ltd, and dating from 1937, while a pretty pair of 14 carat white gold lily of the valley earrings set with brilliant and single-cut diamonds, cultured pearls and nephrite, is on sale with Antwerp dealers Precious Flora.

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Also found were a slate blade (as on Saddle Island), a nephrite drill, a hammerstone, reworked chert fragments, and a steatite pendant associated with a string of seal vertebrae.

Indigenous Traces on Basque Sites: Direct Contact or Later Reoccupation?