The New Student's Reference Work/Jade

Jade, a hard, green stone, highly prized in oriental countries for making ornaments. It also is known as nephrite, being so named by the Greeks because often worn in diseases of the kidneys as an imagined remedy. It is a compact, translucent stone, usually but not invariably green or greenish in color, variable in composition. It is a variety of hornblende, and is often called axestone because of its frequent use among savages for making weapons and implements.