Black Jade

Black jadeite of the type sold in Hong Kong as bangles, beads and pendants has been found in Myanmar and was offered at the Myanma Jadeite auction in 1996. Blackish green omphacite jade comes from Guatemala and is also known from Myanmar; a Guatemalan type sold in China as "yongchuliao" was found to be almost entirely omphacite with titanite inclusions.

Black jadeite is often grayish black with patchy color and black vein-like patterns; coarser pieces can show sparkling cleavage flashes ("fly wing flash"), which black nephrite does not show, and it is inert under ultraviolet light. Inky black omphacite jade looks black in reflected light but green when strong light shines through it. Jadeite and omphacite jade have nearly the same refractive index and density, so separating them needs Raman spectroscopy; nephrite is clearly lighter (specific gravity about 2.95 against about 3.33). Jadeite can also be dyed, so a black color should not be assumed to be natural without testing.

A 1999 study described black jadeite as appearing on the Hong Kong market as bangles, strung beads, carvings and pendants, where its grayish black color led to the colloquial name "black-skin-chicken jadeite"; it had been used for jewelry in Hong Kong and Taiwan but was not yet popular. More recently, blackish green Guatemalan omphacite jade has drawn the attention of Chinese buyers.

According to the same 1999 study, black jadeite is generally considered less valuable than green jadeite but is believed to bring physical protection and happiness. This is a belief, not a tested property.