A New Species of Jade——Epidote-Tremolite Jade

Epidote-tremolite jade called "Qinghua jade" by sellers is a new species in the market, and its main colour is blackish green or yellowish green.The mineralogical, gemmological and spectral characteristics of this kind of jade is studied by using the slice observation, electron microprobe and infrared spectrum.The results indicate that the main mineral components of the jade are epidote and tremolite, and the auxiliary mineral components are quartz, calcite, chlorite, limonite and sphene.So "Qinghua jade" is not the appropriate name for the jade and it is suggested that it should be named "epidote-tremolite jade", which is a kind of good jade material because of its compact structure and high hardness and could be easily distinguished from the other jades through the distinct features of the colour and structure.