Complete Record of Jadeite Rough Stone Origins: Major Mining Sites and Their Characteristics Worldwide
Jadeite is revered as a gemstone treasure of Eastern civilization. Its unique value and charm originate entirely from the mountains and rivers that nurtured it. Jadeite deposits are extremely rare around the world, and the vastly different geological conditions in each region endow the rough stones with distinct appearances and characteristics. Let us now explore the major jadeite-producing regions of the world and examine in detail the features and unique advantages of the most famous mining fields.
1. Myanmar: The Sacred Source of the World's Jadeite
The Hukawng River Valley in the Myitkyina region of northern Myanmar is the world's core source of the finest quality jadeite. Scattered across this land are numerous renowned mining fields, each writing its own legend. Based on mining history and geological characteristics, these fields can be broadly divided into old mining areas, new mining areas, and several special small-scale mining fields.
1.1. Phakant (Hpakant) Mining Area: 帕敢场口（场区/坑场）
As the earliest mined historical famous mining field, Hpakant holds an irreplaceable position in the history of jadeite. Hpakant rough stones have thin skins, predominantly gray-white and yellowish-white in color, with fine crystallization, good texture, high transparency, and saturated colors. Their sizes range from a few kilograms to several hundred kilograms, appearing as gravels of various dimensions. They mainly produce low-to-medium grade "brick material," though high-quality stones are not uncommon.
From a classification perspective, Hpakant is primarily divided into mountain stones and water stones, with semi-mountain, semi-water stones being rare. Among mountain stones, black wax-coated stones are of the best quality, followed by yellow salt-sand stones and white salt-sand stones, which require uniform sand coverage, fine and dense grains, and strong tactile feel. Water stones have thin skins and mostly have a translucent quality. Additionally, wax-coated rough stones are rare, while "pine flower" and "green belt" markings are common. The green color is medium to high grade, often appearing as pea green or melon green, with occasional subcutaneous green or oily green. Rarely, water-rich full-green high-ice jadeite or patchy high-ice imperial green may appear, but such occurrences are few. Old Hpakant was world-famous for its black wax-coated jadeite with a coal-black skin, but unfortunately, those resources have been exhausted. The wax-coated jadeite seen in the market today all come from Mameng.
1.2. Maluangon Mining Area: 目乱干场口
Mugan is a new mining area, prominently featured by skinless jadeite rough stone, which is quite rare among all mining sites.Rough stones here boast excellent water transparency and fine base quality, often accompanied by white fog. A single piece of raw material usually features an intermingled palette of purple, red and pale emerald green, with rich color layers being its greatest advantage. However, heavy cracking is an obvious inherent flaw.Being skinless makes the internal condition of the rough stone relatively intuitive to observe, yet the pervasive cracks greatly raise the risk and difficulty of material selection and cutting.
1.3. Hweka Mining Area: 会卡场口
Renowned in the industry as the "Magic Mine", Hka features diverse rind colors, dominated by waxy grey-green and grey-black tones. Its transparency and inner base quality are unevenly distributed. Even so, sections with green color usually carry excellent water luster.
Hweka rough stones have no sandy rind; the jadeite flesh lies directly beneath the waxy shell, which falls into four main categories: grey waxy rind, cyan waxy rind, red waxy rind, and water-rolled sand.
This mining area is famous for producing full-color materials, among which violet and full-green jadeite enjoy the highest market value. The rough stones present uniform texture and water performance, yet they are heavily fractured, coming with high gambling risks.
Hweka materials are deeply favored by stone gamblers for their highly attractive vivid green and rich violet hues. Nevertheless, dense cracks leave the line between making a fortune and suffering a loss extremely thin. Notably, parts with green on the rough stone often come with superior water transparency, a key feature for judging the quality of Hka jadeite.
1.4. Longtang Mining Area: 龙塘场口
Longtang, also called Longkeng, mainly features yellow sandy rind and grayish-white fish-skin rind with a relatively coarse texture. Most rough stones have excellent water transparency and fine base quality, with pure and vivid green tones, often producing high-grade emerald jadeite.
As one of the world’s most important jadeite producing areas, the current output rate of rough stones here is relatively low, yet the chance of striking premium vivid green material is remarkably high. Most gambling rough stones from Longtang weigh around 300 grams, featuring a wide variety of types, superior texture, thin rind and outstanding oiliness.
Blessed with a special geographical location and complex mining terrain, Longtang is rather difficult to exploit. This largely explains its low yield yet consistently high quality. For collectors in pursuit of top-grade green jadeite, Longtang stands as an indispensable and remarkable mining site.
1.5 Sibi Mining Area: 自壁场口
Sibi, also known as Liangcili, features mainly yellow-gray rinds. The rough stones boast excellent water clarity and fine base quality with few cracks, and usually carry white fog. It is renowned for producing fine blue-flower jadeite with outstanding water luster.
Rough stones from Sibi are extremely precious and rarely come by, dominated by high-ice and violet varieties. Low crack density, superb water transparency and fine inner texture make Sibi jadeite quite rare among raw jadeite materials.
Sibi holds an illustrious position in jadeite history. The legendary high-priced Fu-Shou-Lu jadeite unearthed in 1989 originated here, as did the famous Qiluo Jade of Tengchong. These iconic jadeite treasures have secured Sibi a special place among jadeite enthusiasts. Due to the scarce output of premium rough stones, every fine piece from Zibi is highly sought after by collectors.
1.6 Mamon Mining Area: 麻蒙场口
Mamon, also referred to as Wusha, produces black-wusha rough stones with a greyish undertone. They generally have mediocre water transparency and base quality, often containing black veins or white fog, and their green hue tends to carry a slight blue tint.
Nevertheless, the sections with green color usually display good water and base performance. When the green is highly concentrated, it occasionally yields emerald-grade high-color jadeite of immense value.
Mameng bears a direct inheritance link to the black-wusha of old Pagang. After the depletion of black-wusha resources at old Pagang, nearly all black-wusha jadeite circulating in the market today comes from Mameng. Though its overall quality cannot match that of old Pagang, as the primary source of black-wusha material, Mameng still occupies a vital position in the jadeite market.
1.7 Masa Mining Area: 马萨场口
Masa is classified as a new mining area. Its rough jadeite is mostly rindless or thinly rinded, with rather pale green tones. Up to now, no high-quality jadeite has been unearthed here, and it is rarely seen in the stone gambling market.
The water transparency and base quality vary unevenly. The raw materials are mainly used for low-grade jadeite bracelets and large decorative carvings. Masa materials are barely present in the high-end jadeite market, yet they still hold practical value for jade carving and bracelet processing factories that demand large quantities of medium and low-grade raw materials.
1.8 Damukan Mining Area: 达木砍场口
Damukan, also known as Daomokan, originates from slope deposits and mountain riverbeds. Its rind is mostly taupe gray and yellowish-red, commonly with white fog, yellow fog and red fog. The water transparency and base quality are generally fine, while the color tone leans slightly toward blue. The rough stones are usually small in size, mostly weighing one to two kilograms. Occasionally, Damukan yields fiery blood-red jadeite with extremely high collectible value.
Red jadeite from Damukan stands uniquely distinguished in the jadeite market. Unlike sporadic red jadeite from other Myanmar mining sites, Damukan red jadeite features vivid color and high saturation, presenting a blazing blood-like hue. It ranks as the premium raw material for crafting red jadeite jewelry. Due to its scarce output, every high-quality piece of Damukan red jadeite is fiercely sought after by collectors.
1.9 Mogaung Mining Area: 抹岗场口
Mogang rough jadeite features a relatively coarse rind with grayish-yellow or grayish-white skin tones. It boasts fine water transparency and clean base quality with few cracks. Glass base material is quite common here, though the overall output is scarce.
High-grade full-green or vivid green-veined jadeite varieties are rare, and the stones are almost free of inclusions. The greatest strengths of Mogang material lie in its pure base and minimal fractures, which facilitate material cutting and deliver finished products with exceptional clarity.
Top-grade vivid green specimens are uncommon, yet even regular-quality Mogang roughs are well favored by craftsmen for their excellent base texture.
1.10 Houjiang Mining Area: 后江场口
Houjiang is divided into Old Houjiang and New Houjiang, both sourced from alluvial riverbed sand deposits.
Old Houjiang comes from the bottom of alluvial layers. It has a thin, grayish-greenish yellow rind and small stone size, rarely exceeding 0.5 kilograms. With excellent water clarity and fine base quality, it frequently produces full-green high-grade jadeite. It has little fog but abundant cracks. Its unique advantage is that the finished stone intensifies in color compared with the rough, and it boasts superior processability, making it ideal for crafting cabochons and ring faces.
New Houjiang features a thicker rind and larger bulk, generally around 3 kilograms. However, its water transparency and base quality are inferior to Old Houjiang, with slightly lower density and hardness as well as more fractures. After polishing, its finished color tends to be duller than the original rough. Even with full, vivid green tones, it is hardly suitable for high-end jewelry production.
This distinctive trait of Houjiang material — Old Houjiang gains color after polishing while New Houjiang loses color — is widely recognized in the jadeite trade and serves as a key benchmark for evaluating its value.
1.11 Mawunji Mining Area: 莫湾基场口
Mawunji is hailed as the King of Color Material. It lies on both sides of the tributaries of the Mawun River, northeast of the Pagang mining site. It mines jadeite placer deposits in highland gravel beds. Cut through by the river, the gravel layer reaches a depth of about one hundred meters, with clear cross-sections visible on both riverbanks.
The gravel bed consists of two layers from top to bottom. The upper layer is reddish and yellowish; the lower layer ranges from gray to black in a semi-cemented state, containing green schist and mica schist.
The rough stones feature jet-black rinds with prominent pine flower markings. The pine flower grains are coarse, raised, irregularly arranged, and bright in tone. The overall stone beneath the pine flower may not show obvious water and texture, yet the part covered by pine flower usually carries excellent transparency and quality.
Vintage Mawunji material often presents an oily luster with tight, solid texture; younger material appears loose with dull rind performance. Most jadeite gravels come with a waxy shell, shaped sub-rounded to sub-angular. They are predominantly black-wusha type with thick, pitch-black rinds resembling black paint.
Beneath the rind lies internal fog — a feature many new-site black-skin stones on the market do not possess. Stones with python belts, white fog and pine flower markings generally boast fine texture and vivid green. Smaller pieces are likely to be fully saturated in green.
1.12 Moxisha Mining Area: 莫西沙场口
There is a well-known saying about Moxisha:"Of ten Moxisha stones, nine feature icy floating flowers."It fully reflects its exceptionally high yield of ice-type jadeite with floating flower patterns.Moxisha rough stones have a strong sandy and prickly texture, dominated by white sandy rind and gray sandy rind, while red sandy rind is rare. Mining has now reached deeper layers, where dark-colored rinds prevail. The rind is uneven with distinct granular grit and a rough feel to the touch, which usually indicates excellent inner texture and transparency.
Moxisha is famous for producing high-grade quality jadeite. Glass variety and high-ice variety are by no means uncommon here. Its unique feature is that the roughness of the rind is generally positively correlated with the inner quality — the rougher and grittier the outer shell, the finer the texture and transparency inside. This pattern makes Moxisha relatively easy to judge in stone gambling, earning it great popularity among jadeite enthusiasts.
1.13 Munar Mining Area: 木那场口
Munar Mining Area is iconic for its snowflake cotton feature. The interior of its jadeite commonly contains white flocculent inclusions resembling drifting snowflakes. This distinctive appearance makes Munar material highly recognizable in the market. The rough stones boast excellent texture, high transparency, and fine grain quality.
The distinction between old and new Munar deposits can be judged by the compactness, fineness and sand-shedding condition of the rind, as well as the stone shape. Angular, well-defined rough stones are more likely to come from the old Munar mine. Most Munar stones have white rinds, occasionally with hints of red. Those presenting white fog usually reveal fine-quality jadeite once cut open. Munar is famous for yielding white salt-sand rind and arrowhead-shaped rind varieties.
Most rough stones from Munar come with subtle base tones, such as clear water, blue water, and white background with floating color patterns. Fine specimens usually show minimal cotton; those with vivid color are regarded as top-tier treasures.
Thanks to its high probability of gaining value after cutting, Munar material is hugely popular among jade collectors. However, its popularity has led to widespread imitation by rough stones from other mining areas. Collectors should exercise great caution to avoid counterfeits.
1.14 Nanchii Mining Area: 南奇场口
Nanchii Mining Area, also known as Mohan Jade Field, is generally referred to as a minor mining site. Though small in scale and low in output, its jadeite quality is superb. It is renowned for sky-blue jadeite and black jadeite, featuring fine texture, rich color variations and few cracks. The rough stones have relatively thick sandy rinds with delicate fine grains; some rinds are smooth and grainless, similar to stalactite texture.
Nanchii is most celebrated for its color enhancement capability. A well-known saying circulates in the Myanmar jadeite trade: Given the same original hue,Kaqi can enhance one shade, Houjiang can enhance two shades, and Nanqi can enhance three shades.This means finished products crafted from Nanqi rough stones can rise three levels in color vividness compared with the raw stone itself, which is why connoisseurs highly favor Nanqi material.
Nanqi jadeite normally comes with both rind and fog. It has sandy rinds in various colors, mostly thin in thickness, with white fog being the most common type. Among them, the finest are water-transformed sandy stones with thin rind and faint white fog. They possess mature stone nature, fine and compact inner quality, and smooth surface. They show distinct fluorescence under light irradiation, serving as one of the key sources of high-end jadeite in the market.
1.15 Wengbale Mining Area: 翁巴列场口
Wengbale is situated in the northwest of the new mining zone, close to the old mining area. Its local Myanmar name is Obamabuma. It is a mining area known for generally immature grain quality, abundant cotton, heavy fractures, and prone to quality deterioration, mostly yielding water-transparency type jadeite. If cotton is present inside, it can usually be observed from the performance of the rough stone’s rind.
The rind features obvious and dense stone veins, with few coarse sandy skins. The sand grains are fine and mixed with silt, giving an indistinct sandy feel. The rind is thin, with a narrow transition layer between skin and jade flesh. Most stones have a yellow rind with a reddish undertone.
They often present good water transparency but poor grain quality, accompanied by bulky cotton and numerous cracks. The texture tends to be immature with impure water, and the polished luster is generally unsatisfactory. Notably, a type of new-field material has a similar rind color but far fewer stone veins, requiring careful differentiation.
Rough stones from Wengbale are basically divided into three categories: transitional mountain-river type, conventional type, and the type that can produce ice variety, glass variety, and even lavender ice jadeite. The key is to select stones with a compact rind; such Wengbale materials also possess high collectible value.
1.16 Gwei Ngei Taung Mining Area: 格英角场口
Compared with those from other mining sites, the black-skin jadeite roughs produced in Gwei Ngei Taung feature darker and thinner rinds, mostly with angular and well-defined shapes. Most roughs have a fog layer, among which white fog represents superior quality with clean inner jade flesh. Jadeite with a compact rind generally possesses mature stone texture.
There is also a type of oily-skin stone here with an extremely thin rind like cicada wings. It boasts medium-to-high transparency and texture, and the finest specimens can reach high ice or glass grade.
Gwei Ngei Taung material is characterized by regular shape and rich fog layers. For enthusiasts who specialize in studying the fog features of jadeite, this mining area is of great research value.
1.17 Longkeng Mining Area: 龙肯场口
In its early days, the Longkeng Mining Area was known as the "New Field". It is located in the upper reaches of the Wulong River, stretching from the west bank of the Wulong River in the east to the provincial border of the Kaisu mining site in the west; bounded by small tributaries of the upper Wulong River in the north and Nanmupi in the south. It spans approximately 40 kilometers from east to west and 30 kilometers from north to south, encompassing more than thirty individual mining plots. Longken is dominated by primary ore deposits, yielding primary rock-type jadeite embedded in bedrock. The raw stone can only be obtained by manual stripping or blasting with explosives. Most roughs have no rind and no fog layer. Without optimization and reconstruction by later supergene geological processes, Longken jadeite is generally immature in texture, yet it is easy to find premium color material with pure, natural green tones.
The ore bodies mostly feature yellow sandy rind or grayish-white fish-skin texture, with a loose structure and directionally arranged fine crystal grains. Its main component is chromium jadeite, covering color systems of green, white, purple and yellow, among which the emerald green is bright and well-proportioned. The mining area includes well-known sites such as Moxisha, and is famous for producing high-grade transparency and texture jadeite.
Longkeng jadeite first emerged in the Ming Dynasty and flourished in the Qing Dynasty, regarded as a symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune. Green soil layers were discovered locally in 1991. After the Myanmar government opened up the jadeite market in 1993, primary outcrops of the ore body were verified in 1994, and more than twenty mine tunnels were put into production.
Due to its zonal distribution, the ore deposit is named Heavenly Dragon Origin. Mine materials entered the Yangon and Hong Kong markets in 1999, and the original deposits were almost fully mined by 2000. Most existing Longken materials are stockpiled and circulated among merchants.
Longkeng ranks among the world’s finest sources of jadeite. Although its primary ore tends to be tender in texture, it delivers exceptionally outstanding color performance.
1.18 Momoliang Mining Area: 莫莫亮场口
Momoliang is a small jadeite mining area with low market supply yet relatively high overall quality and extremely high gambling potential. Most roughs feature black skin, predominantly fog-layer rinds that are remarkably fine and thin.
The stones generally possess good transparency with clean base quality, free of impurities, cracks and cotton inclusions, presenting a pure and refreshing texture. Its tone is neither gray nor dull; floating color patterns are common, while full saturated color is relatively rare.
Momoliang roughs show obvious colloidal texture at the opened window and deliver excellent polishing results, having produced numerous high-ice and glass-grade pieces. If yielding ice-type or fine color material, the base will display stunning fluorescence effect after processing.
Even mid-to-high grade Momoliang material commands a high market value. Due to its small mining scale and limited output, Momoliang jadeite is quite scarce in the market. For collectors who acquire premium pieces, the finished products are often breathtakingly beautiful.
2. Other Producing Areas in Asia
Jadeite producing areas in Japan are mainly concentrated in Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture (formerly Aomachi Town), a renowned origin of Japanese Jade.Deposits here are mostly primary ore, dominated by coarse-grained jadeite aggregates, mainly in green and white tones with a relatively dry texture. High-quality Japanese jadeite has now been largely depleted. Most Japanese jadeite available on the market today consists of historical stockpiles and small specimens, which cannot meet large-scale commercial demand.
Kazakhstan: The primary jadeite deposits in Kazakhstan are mainly the Itmurunda and Levo-Kechpeli mines. The ore deposits occur within the ultrabasic ophiolite suite east of Balkhash City, with mineralization associated with serpentinite masses.
Jadeite ore bodies occur in lenticular, cylindrical and columnar forms. The jadeite appears in light gray, dark gray, light green, dark green and other hues, featuring medium-grained and fine-grained metasomatic textures.
Unlike Myanmar jadeite, whose transitional blocks consist of albite, those of Kazakhstan jadeite are composed of amphibole. Its colors are mostly white, yellow, light green and pale red, with the finest green reaching apple green tone.
Kazakhstan jadeite is mainly categorized into three types: dark green, variegated, and light to dark green. It can be used for low-grade ornaments and jade carving materials. Overall, its quality is mostly comparable to opaque, poor-transparency and coarse-texture carving-grade Myanmar jadeite. Even small pieces approaching emerald green quality are riddled with fractures and barely suitable for carving.
With limited practical ornamental value, Kazakhstan jadeite is primarily regarded as a subject for geological research.
3. European Producing Areas
Two major jadeite deposits have been discovered in Russia.The first is the Levo-Kechpeli Deposit in the Ural Mountains, an endogenic deposit hosted in ultrabasic rock masses. Jadeite occurs in vein form intergrown with albite; the veins are only a few centimeters thick and yield small blocks. Colors are mostly white, pale green, and grayish-white, and the deposit currently has no commercial mining value.
The second is the Inagli Deposit on the Aldan Shield, located in peridotite within ultrabasic alkaline rocks. Besides diopside and amphibole–orthoclase pegmatite veins, it also contains ornamental diopside metasomatic rock. In recent years, large quantities of diopside from this area have been mined and exported to the Chinese market, mostly as low-to-medium grade material with poor texture. Some well-colored jadeite pieces are well received in the market.
The Kashkarak Deposit in the Western Sayan Range is Russia’s highest-yielding and relatively best-quality jadeite occurrence. Its so-called “good quality” is only relative to other Ural deposits; jewelry-grade jadeite is still extremely rare here, with most material merely reaching the level of Myanmar’s low-to-medium grade tablet and common bulk material.
Compared with Myanmar jadeite, Russian jadeite contains higher calcium and iron but lower chromium. In addition, due to its high latitude and lower formation temperature, Russian jadeite tends to have dull, somber colors. Mineralogically, it exhibits granoblastic and sheaf-like textures formed by recrystallization, as well as mylonitic and augen structures accompanied by dense fractures, rendering most material unsuitable for gemstone use.
Nevertheless, high-quality jadeite is occasionally found in the Ural Mountains. In March 2013, a Russian mining company announced the discovery of a high-quality jadeite piece weighing approximately one kilogram from the Urals. In 2012, an amber processing plant unearthed another fine jadeite specimen of around 0.6 kilograms from the same mining area. The plant once held a jadeite auction, selling a total of 50 kilograms of rough jadeite for one million US dollars, proving growing market recognition of Russian jadeite quality.
4. American Producing Areas
4.1 The United States
Jadeite deposits in the United States are mainly found in California. The Clear Creek Mine is located near the San Andreas Fault Zone in San Benito County. Jadeite rocks occur in vein and lenticular forms within belts of ultrabasic rocks and sedimentary-extrusive rocks. The jadeite is predominantly white, with fine-grained green jadeite appearing at the core of the rock mass. Mineral composition accounts are approximately 75% jadeite, 15% aegirine, and 7% diopside.
The Leech Lake Mine is situated in New Idria. Its jadeite occurs within serpentinite, appearing as green fibrous crystals in schist and cross-cutting albite–riebeckite veins. It has been mined for jade carving materials. American jadeite has relatively limited commercial value and mainly supplies the local carving market.
4.2 Colombia
Jadeite deposits have been discovered on the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia, hosted in Paleogene to Neogene conglomerates. They occur as boulders associated with sodic trachyte and other eclogite-type rock assemblages.
No jadeite deposits of significant commercial value have been found to date. Colombian jadeite is of certain geological research significance, yet it is barely seen in the jewelry market.
4.3 Guatemala
Guatemala is the world’s second most famous jadeite producing area after Myanmar. Its mines are concentrated along the fault zone of the eastern Motagua River Valley, mainly in the departments of El Progreso and Zacapa. The region shares similar geological conditions with Myanmar, both located at tectonic plate boundaries. Thirteen jadeite mining sites have been developed in Guatemala to date.
The Morales pit is the core producing area of Guatemalan jadeite, known as the "Hermès" among Guatemalan jade materials.It accounts for 95% of Guatemala’s total output and boasts the finest quality, yielding varieties such as ice-grade and glass-grade jadeite in shades of blue-green, pale gray-green, and dark green.Located in central Guatemala, the Morales region features complex terrain consisting mainly of mountains, plateaus, canyons, rivers and lakes. Jadeite deposits are primarily distributed in the Sierra de las Minas Mountains to the west and the Montañas Mayas Mountains to the east.
Jadeite from the Morales pit boasts the finest color and texture, reaching the level of imperial green with quality exceeding ice and glass grades. Its top-tier specimens even surpass those from most Myanmar mining areas, yet they are priced considerably lower than Burmese jadeite.
This cost-performance advantage has steadily strengthened the competitiveness of Guatemalan jadeite in the global market. Some hold the view that once Guatemalan jadeite gains widespread market recognition, the pricing system of Myanmar jadeite will face tremendous impact.
For jadeite collectors and practitioners, the characteristics of mining origins are never merely academic geological terms—they are keys that unlock the gateway to hidden treasures.
Pagan’s solid texture, Hka’s rich vivid hues, Muna’s signature snowflake patterns, Nanqi’s color-shifting effect, Houjiang’s color enhancement after polishing… Each mining site is like an old friend with a distinct temperament. Only by understanding their unique traits can one gain greater certainty and less blind recklessness amid the risks and opportunities of rough stone gambling.
Whether one admires the imperial green of Burmese jadeite or keeps an eye on the rising star of Guatemalan material, only by delving into the origin and story of each stone can one truly appreciate the endless charm of jadeite, this precious treasure of the East.
Related reading:
👉 Guatemalan Jadeite: Breaking Myanmar's Monopoly, the Rising "New Noble"
👉 Where Does Jadeite Come From? A Global Deposits Overview
👉 Journey to the Source: A Jade Sourcing Adventure in Myanmar