What Is Burmese Jadeite? The World's Most Valuable Jade, Explained
Share
Jade and Jadeite Are Not the Same Thing
Most people use the word "jade" as if it refers to one thing. It doesn't. In reality, two completely different minerals are sold under the name jade: nephrite and jadeite. They look similar. They are not the same.
Nephrite is the more common of the two. It's found in China, Canada, New Zealand, and several other countries. It's softer than jadeite and typically comes in darker greens, blacks, and muted tones.
Jadeite is rarer, harder, more vibrant in color, and more valuable. It's a sodium aluminum silicate — a completely different mineral composition. The finest jadeite in the world comes from one place: Burma (Myanmar).
At Brother Ryan Shop, everything we sell is jadeite. Specifically, Burmese jadeite. That distinction matters.
Why Burma Produces the World's Best Jadeite
The Hpakan-Tawmaw region in northern Myanmar's Kachin province has produced jadeite for centuries. The geological conditions there — high-pressure metamorphic rock formations, chromium-rich deposits — create jadeite with a color intensity and translucency that no other source in the world has replicated.
Myanmar accounts for over 70% of the world's supply of high-quality jadeite. The chromium content is what creates the deep, saturated imperial green that serious collectors seek out. You can find jadeite in Guatemala, Japan, and Russia — but it doesn't compare.
What Makes Burmese Jadeite Valuable — The Three Factors
Color
The most valuable jadeite is imperial green — an intense, saturated, even green with good translucency. Lavender, icy white, and yellow jadeite are also prized. The color should be natural, not dyed. If it looks too perfect and too uniform, be cautious.
Transparency
The best jadeite allows light to pass through it. Hold a piece up to a light source — high-quality jadeite will glow, with light diffusing through the stone. Cloudy or completely opaque pieces are lower grade.
Texture
The finest jadeite has a fine, interlocking crystal structure that gives it a smooth, waxy luster when polished. Coarser textures — visible grain — indicate lower grade material.
Type A, B, and C — The Grading System You Need to Know
Type A jadeite is natural and untreated. Only a surface wax treatment for polish. This is the only grade that holds and grows in value over time. All BRS pieces are Type A.
Type B jadeite has been bleached and resin-injected to improve its appearance. It may look like Type A but will degrade over years as the resin breaks down.
Type C jadeite has been bleached and dyed. The color is artificial and will fade. It is worth a fraction of natural jadeite and is often misrepresented.
How BRS Sources Directly from Burma
Our pipeline runs Burma to Thailand — where trusted intermediaries we have worked with for years handle initial grading and sorting — and then to us. We see the pieces before they ship. We grade everything ourselves before it goes on live.
That direct sourcing relationship is why our pricing can stay accessible. There's no middleman markup stacking up between Burma and your wrist. What you pay reflects what the jade is actually worth.
See our Burma-sourced jadeite collection → brotherryanshop.com/collections/all
Watch us show the jade live on Facebook → facebook.com/BrotherRyanShop
Related reading: How to Tell If Jade Is Real → | A, B, and C Grade Jade Explained →