Iroishi Checker
No. 032 / 141
ReferenceREFERENCE
ChrysopraseContribute a photo

Chrysoprase

クリソプレーズ · くりそぷれーず
NaturalGreen
Gemological dataPROPERTIES
Hardness6.5-7
Specific gravity2.60
Refractive index1.530-1.540
Crystal system六方晶系（多結晶集合体）
Color rangeCOLOR RANGE

Apple-green to emerald-green, with the most prized 'prime green' showing strong saturation and slight translucency. Color is uniform — banding is uncharacteristic.

UV responseFLUORESCENCE
Long-wave
365 nm
Weak greenish-white is sometimes observed
Short-wave
254 nm
Essentially inert
Typical inclusionsINCLUSIONS
  • Microscopic nickel-silicate granules (willemseite or pimelite) responsible for the green color
  • Uniform color distribution — pooling or vein-bound color suggests dye
  • Occasional fine fracturing along the host-rock contact
Optical characterOPTICAL TRAITS
  • Microcrystalline aggregate (chalcedony) — single refractometer reading near 1.54
  • Semi-translucent to translucent
  • Specific gravity 2.58–2.64
  • 6.5–7
What to look forID POINTS
  1. 01Uniform apple- to leek-green color, slight translucency, no banding
  2. 02Slightly granular surface texture compared with the smoother polish of jadeite
  3. 03No fibrous interlocking structure under 10× — distinguishes from both jadeite and nephrite
  4. 04Refractometer reading near 1.54 — well below jadeite (1.66) and nephrite (1.61)
Stones it gets mistaken forSIMILAR STONES
Jadeite
Jadeite
ジェダイト（硬玉翡翠）
Jadeite shows fibrous interlocking grains, an 'orange-peel' polished surface, refractometer reading near 1.66, and SG ~3.33; chrysoprase is uniform microcrystalline chalcedony with no fiber structure, refractometer near 1.54, and SG ~2.6.
Care & handlingCARE
  • Mohs 6.5–7 — durable enough for everyday wear
  • Prolonged direct sunlight can cause slight color fade in some material
  • Stable to ordinary jewelry cleaning
Market notesMARKET
PRICE RANGE

A few thousand yen for small cabochons of commercial material up to several tens of thousands of yen per carat for top-grade Australian prime-green stones.

Note: Top Australian 'prime green' chrysoprase is the benchmark and commands jadeite-comparable prices for matched suites. Dyed green chalcedony — a common imitation — fades unevenly under sunlight and shows pooled color in fractures under 10×. The stone is sometimes marketed misleadingly as 'Australian jade.'

BackgroundBACKGROUND

Chrysoprase is a microcrystalline quartz (chalcedony) colored by trace nickel — typically as the silicate willemseite or finely divided pimelite within the silica matrix. The result is a uniform, slightly translucent apple-green to emerald-green stone with none of the banding or fiber structure of true jade. The Greek name combines chrysos (gold) and prason (leek) — 'golden leek-green.' Frederick the Great of Prussia so loved chrysoprase from Szklary in Silesia (then Lower Silesia, now Poland) that he had it installed in the chapel and salon of Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam.

Origin & historyORIGIN & HISTORY

Origins

The Marlborough deposit in Queensland and the Yerilla and Wingellina deposits in Western Australia together supply most of the world's gem-grade chrysoprase. The historic source — used by Frederick the Great and worked since Roman times — is Szklary (German Gläsendorf) in Lower Silesia, Poland, where deposits have been mined since at least the 14th century. Other sources include Goiás in Brazil, the Visokoye-Yegorovskoye deposit in the Polar Urals of Russia, California's Tulare County, Kazakhstan's Sarykul Boldy, and the Haneti deposit in Tanzania.

History

Chrysoprase was used as a seal stone and intaglio gem throughout the Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine worlds — there are over a hundred extant Greco-Roman intaglios in chrysoprase in the major museum collections. Medieval lapidaries identified it with one of the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21. Frederick the Great (1712–1786) acquired so much Silesian chrysoprase that he decorated two rooms at Sanssouci Palace with it and presented major carved pieces as diplomatic gifts. Australian Queensland material, discovered in the 1960s near Marlborough, restored chrysoprase to commercial importance after the Silesian deposit declined.

Lore & symbolism

Recognized in some traditions as a secondary May birthstone, within the broader chalcedony family. Often called the 'stone of Venus' for its association with growth, fertility, and renewal — the freshness of new spring leaves. In modern crystal-healing traditions it is associated with the heart chakra and emotional balance.

OBSERVATION TOOLS · 2 ITEMS

Tools to confirm this stone

Tools that help confirm Chrysoprase. Tap any item to jump to the matching section on the gem tools page.

References
最終確認日
2026年4月28日
参 考 文 献

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