Quality

Nephrite’s quality is determined by the cumulative assessment and study of factors such as the Nephrite gemstone Colour, Clarity, and Cut. Nephrite Jade stone exhibiting superior colour, with zero to minimum visible inclusions and surface flaws, that is cut skillfully, is considered to be of fine quality. Based on these quality assessments, Jade Nephrite stone is categorized into three quality gradings, namely, AAA, AA, and A, with AAA being of the finest quality and A being the inferior of the three.

•         AAA Grade Jade Nephrite: An Eye-clean Natural Nephrite Jade with good colour and cut skillfully is considered to be of AAA grade.
•         AA Grade Jade Nephrite: AA Grade Nephrite stones have medium colour, clarity, and cut.
•         A Grade Jade Nephrite: A grade Nephrite stones have poor colour, are noticeably highly included, and are cut irregularly.

Price

Nephrite Jade price is determined by the collective assessment of factors such as the gemstone’s Origin, Colour, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight.

•         Origin

New Zealand is the biggest and the most major supplier of good quality Nephrite Jade and thus holds a high price. Other notable sources include Australia, Russia, etc.

•         Colour

Nephrite stone price is generally higher for gemstones exhibiting superior colour. Nephrite Jade with deep and solid green colour is considered to be the most valuable. Other colours that occur in Jade Nephrite are white to gray, yellowish to brownish, near-black, and a plethora of different green colours.

•         Clarity

The clarity of the stone affect the Nephrite Jade price significantly. Translucent Jade Nephrite with a glassy to creamy luster is considered the most valuable.

•         Cut

Since Nephrite is an opaque stone, it is usually cut into cabochon shapes. Cutting raw Nephrite Jade enhances its colour and improves clarity by concealing visible inclusions. However, cutting raw Nephrite leads to stone wastage of rough Nephrite, and this further increases prices. Thus cabochon cuts are considered the most economical as it leads to less Nephrite Jade rough wastage.

•         Carat Weight

The weight and size of Jade Nephrite can affect its price significantly. Larger stones sell for a higher price per carat. Polishing Nephrite Jade as well as cutting it leads to a decrease in size that crucially affect the price.