Key properties
| Chemical formula | (Mg,Fe,Ni)3Si2O5(OH)4 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic (antigorite) to trigonal (lizardite); gem material is massive aggregate |
| Mohs hardness | 2.5-5.5 |
| Toughness | Fair to good (variety-dependent: compact bowenite is tough; soft porous material is fragile) |
| Refractive index | 1.560-1.570 |
| Optic character | Aggregate (doubly refractive shadow edge not resolvable); antigorite is biaxial negative (-) |
| Specific gravity | 2.44-2.80 |
| Cleavage | None visible in massive gem material (single crystals show one perfect direction, never seen in cut pieces) |
| Fracture | Uneven to splintery; granular on broken coarse material |
| Habit | Massive, compact to fibrous or platy; often pseudomorphous after olivine |
| Lustre | Waxy to greasy, dull on fracture surfaces; polish: Waxy |
| UV fluorescence | Typically inert; occasionally weak greenish white in long-wave UV and weak bluish in short-wave UV |
| Pleochroism | None — massive opaque to translucent ornamental material |
| Cause of colour | Green from ferrous iron substituting for magnesium, with chromium (williamsite) or nickel (some Pacific material) intensifying the colour; yellow-brown tones come from richer iron; white material is nearly chromophore-free; near-black colour comes from abundant fine opaque inclusions |
| Typical inclusions | Black chromite octahedra (classic in williamsite), magnetite grains, cloudy white carbonate or magnesite veining, moss-like chlorite strands |
| Stability | Stable to light and normal wear, but hydrochloric and sulphuric acids decompose it and hard wear dulls the waxy polish |
| Heat sensitivity | High — the structure holds water, so a jeweller's torch whitens, cracks and can fuse the stone |
| Care and cleaning | Warm soapy water with a soft brush is safe; never ultrasonic or steam. Keep away from acids and household chemicals, remove before heavy work, and store separately — it scratches against almost every other gem. |
| Birthstones | None, though it is widely marketed as an affordable jade alternative |
| Availability | Plentiful and inexpensive; Chinese Xiuyan (Liaoning) mines supply the great bulk of the world's carving material in very large blocks |
| Recognition | Waxy lustre, mottled green-and-white look, spot RI near 1.56 (hard to read on a poor polish), SG near 2.57, and a steel point scratches it (hardness 2.5–5.5). Distinguishing it from true jade is the everyday identification task. |
Varieties (4)
Green Serpentine (Bowenite)
| Colour | light to deep yellow-green and apple green, often mottled with cloudy white patches and darker veining |
| Transparency | translucent (fine bowenite) to opaque |
| Clarity type | Not applicable — opaque to translucent ornamental material |
| Phenomena | None (rare fibrous pieces show weak chatoyancy) |
| Appearance | A friendly, soft-looking green — think apple to olive green with a waxy, soap-like polish. Cloudy white blotches, dark veins or scattered black chromite specks give most pieces a mottled, organic look that invites comparison with jade, its constant companion in the market. |
| Trade names | bowenite • williamsite (intense chrome-green with black chromite specks) • tangiwai (New Zealand bowenite) • verd-antique (heavily white-veined, used like decorative marble) • Xiuyan jade / Xiu jade (China) • retinalite is the yellow relative |
| Misnomers | new jade • Korean jade • Soochow jade / Suzhou jade • Styrian jade (pseudophite) • sang-i-yashm (Afghan trade term) • bare use of 'jade' or 'greenstone' without qualification |
| Typical sizes | Beads 6–20 mm; cabochons from a few carats up; carvings and rough from under a carat to multi-kilogram blocks |
| Cutting styles | Cabochons, beads, bangles, pendants, animal and figure carvings, inlay |
| Key separations | From nephrite: RI 1.56 vs 1.62, SG ~2.6 vs ~2.95, and a knife point scratches serpentine but not nephrite. From jadeite: jadeite's RI 1.66 and SG 3.33 are far higher. From chrysoprase and green chalcedony: those are harder (6.5–7), lower RI (1.53–1.54) and vitreous rather than waxy. From green glass and plastic: look for bubbles, mould seams, and (for plastic) a hot-point response. |
| Sources (localities) | China (Xiuyan, Liaoning — the dominant source) • New Zealand (South Island tangiwai, protected under Ngāi Tahu management) • Afghanistan • South Africa (large deposit found 1989) • USA (williamsite from Maryland/Pennsylvania; Rhode Island is the type locality) |
| Availability | Plentiful and inexpensive at every scale |
| Market notes | Sold openly as an affordable jade look-alike — the honest label is 'serpentine' or 'bowenite'. New Zealand tangiwai carries cultural value and legal protection, and fine williamsite or tangiwai cabochons command collector prices far above bulk Xiuyan goods. |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water only; no ultrasonic or steam. Scratches easily, so keep it away from harder stones and re-polish or re-wax if the surface dulls. |
| In short | The classic face of serpentine: translucent apple- to olive-green bowenite and its kin, mottled white and green, sold everywhere as an inexpensive jade substitute. Chromium-rich williamsite and New Zealand's tangiwai are the prestige versions. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–10.00 | $0.20 – $3.00 | commercial beads and cabochons | 2026-10-26 |
| 5.00–30.00 | $3.00 – $20.00 | fine tangiwai / williamsite collector cabochons | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Yellow-Brown Serpentine
| Colour | yellowish green through brownish yellow, often banded or blotchy |
| Transparency | translucent to opaque |
| Clarity type | Not applicable — opaque ornamental material |
| Phenomena | None |
| Appearance | Honey, olive and earthy brown-yellow tones, usually swirled or banded rather than even. The waxy polish and mottled banding give it a warm, organic look familiar from Chinese carving stalls, where it does duty as an inexpensive 'golden jade'. |
| Trade names | retinalite (yellow bowenite) • 'golden' Xiuyan jade • Soochow jade (often yellowish green) |
| Misnomers | yellow jade / golden jade when sold without the word serpentine • Soochow jade |
| Typical sizes | Beads 8–16 mm; cabochons 3–30 ct; carving rough in large blocks |
| Cutting styles | Cabochons, beads, bangles, small carvings |
| Key separations | From yellow-brown nephrite: nephrite's RI 1.62, SG ~2.95 and hardness 6–6.5 against serpentine's 1.56 / 2.6 / 2.5–5.5. From yellow idocrase: much higher RI (~1.70). From yellow glass and plastic: bubbles, mould seams, and plastic's hot-point melt and low SG. |
| Sources (localities) | China (Xiuyan, Liaoning) • Afghanistan • USA (minor) |
| Availability | Plentiful as part of the general Xiuyan serpentine output |
| Market notes | Usually sold alongside the green material as inexpensive carved goods; honest labelling as serpentine avoids the 'yellow jade' misnomer. |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water only; no ultrasonic or steam; avoid acids and torch work. |
| In short | The iron-rich, honey-to-olive side of serpentine, mostly from the Chinese Xiuyan beds and mostly carved or cut in cabochon. It is the material behind much cheap 'yellow jade' in the market. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–20.00 | $0.10 – $1.50 | commercial decorative | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
White Serpentine
| Colour | creamy to greyish white, commonly tinted or veined green or grey |
| Transparency | opaque to semi-translucent at thin edges |
| Clarity type | Not applicable — opaque ornamental material |
| Phenomena | None |
| Appearance | A soft, chalky to soapy white, frequently clouded or banded with the green and grey of neighbouring zones in the same block. Waxy rather than porcelain-like, which — together with its low density — keeps it from convincing anyone it is true 'mutton-fat' nephrite. |
| Trade names | white Xiuyan jade • 'mutton-fat'-style white serpentine (a marketing borrow from nephrite) |
| Misnomers | mutton fat jade (true mutton fat is white nephrite) • white jade when unqualified |
| Typical sizes | Beads 8–14 mm; bangles; cabochons and carved pendants of a few to tens of carats |
| Cutting styles | Cabochons, beads, bangles, carved pendants |
| Key separations | From white nephrite ('mutton fat'): nephrite RI 1.62, SG ~2.95, hardness 6–6.5 — serpentine reads 1.56, ~2.6 and is scratched by steel. From magnesite: magnesite RI 1.51–1.53, SG ~3.0, effervesces in hydrochloric acid. From howlite: howlite RI 1.586 with grey web veining. From milky glass: bubbles and mould marks. |
| Sources (localities) | China (Xiuyan, Liaoning) • occurs as pale zones in bowenite worldwide |
| Availability | Common within the Xiuyan output, usually mixed with green material |
| Market notes | Inevitably compared with white nephrite; price and testing both make the separation straightforward for an honest seller. |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water only; porous waxed surfaces absorb cosmetics and sweat, so put it on after perfume and remove before manual work. |
| In short | The chalky-cream end of the serpentine palette, nearly always from the same Chinese deposits as the green material and constantly used to imitate white nephrite. Density and hardness separate them in seconds. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00–20.00 | $0.10 – $1.50 | commercial decorative | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Dark Serpentine
| Colour | dark greenish grey to nearly black, sometimes banded with lighter green |
| Transparency | opaque |
| Clarity type | Not applicable — opaque ornamental material |
| Phenomena | None |
| Appearance | A dense, mossy near-black with green undertones, often banded. The waxy polish and slightly mottled, stony texture keep it from looking like glass — it reads as 'carved dark stone', which is exactly how it is used. |
| Trade names | black serpentine • 'black jade' (loose marketing term) |
| Misnomers | black jade when sold without qualification |
| Typical sizes | Carving and inlay rough in large pieces; cabochons typically 5–50 ct |
| Cutting styles | Animal and figure carvings (the traditional Chinese outlet for this material), inlay, beads, cabochons |
| Key separations | From black nephrite: nephrite RI 1.62, SG ~2.95, harder and more brittle-glassy in fracture. From black obsidian: obsidian is glassy with conchoidal fracture, RI 1.49–1.52, SG ~2.35–2.4. From jet: jet is feather-light (SG ~1.3), warm to the touch and burns. From black plastic: hot point and SG. |
| Sources (localities) | China (dominant, incl. Xiuyan-area dark beds) • Afghanistan • USA (minor dark material) |
| Availability | Plentiful as carving rough |
| Market notes | A staple of inexpensive animal carvings and inlay work; the 'black jade' label should always be corrected to serpentine. |
| Care notes | Warm soapy water only; carvings trap soap residue in crevices, so rinse and dry thoroughly. No ultrasonic or steam. |
| In short | The near-black, magnetite-stained end of the serpentine family, carved by the tonne into animal figures and used for inlay. Simple tests — SG, RI and a steel point — separate it from black nephrite, obsidian and jet. |
| Size (ct) | USD per carat | Tier | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5.00–50.00 | $0.05 – $1.00 | decorative carvings and inlay | 2026-10-26 |
Retail market survey, per carat unless noted. Ranges describe what commercial to fine stones trade at; exceptional stones and provenance premiums sit above them.
Sources
GIA gem encyclopedia · mindat.org · Wikipedia
Data compiled and fact-checked against gemmological literature, October 2026 (JDMIS gem reference). Properties are ranges accepted in gemmological practice; individual stones vary.
See also
Gemstone reference entries: gem #92 · gem #131 · gem #182 · gem #207
Related materials: Corundum · Diamond · Opal · Quartz · Spinel · Topaz
Identification wizard · All 83 materials · Singapore gem labs