Guatemalan Jade vs Burmese Jade: Blue Water and Value

What is Guatemalan jade?

Guatemalan jade is jadeite, the same mineral as Burmese jade, found in Guatemala. Most of it comes from the Motagua River valley, along a major fault zone in the east of the country where the conditions that form jadeite also exist. It is not a look-alike, not nephrite and not a lower "kind" of jade: a lab tests Guatemalan jadeite as jadeite.

Jadeite forms in only a handful of places in the world. Myanmar (Burma) supplies almost all gem-quality jadeite, and Guatemala is the best-known second source. Smaller deposits exist in places such as Japan, Russia and Kazakhstan. For the bigger picture, see where does jadeite come from.

Where does Guatemalan jade come from, and how old is its history?

Long before jadeite reached China from Burma, it was carved in Mesoamerica. The Olmec and later the Maya worked jadeite from the Motagua region into masks, beads, ear ornaments and ritual objects, and the Maya valued it above gold. The Olmec were especially fond of a bluish-green jadeite.

After the Spanish conquest, the sources were largely forgotten. Geologists identified jadeite in Guatemala again in the mid-20th century, and small-scale mining and carving for tourists and jewelry followed. In recent years far more Guatemalan rough has been shipped to China and carved there, which is why Guatemalan jadeite now appears in Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese shops and live streams.

How is Guatemalan jade different from Burmese jade?

They are the same mineral, so hardness, density and toughness are essentially the same. The differences are in the typical look of the material and in how the market prices it. These are tendencies, not rules: plenty of pieces from each source look like the other.

	Burmese (Myanmar) jadeite	Guatemalan jadeite
Mineral	Jadeite	Jadeite
Chinese trade name	缅料 (Burmese material)	危料 (Guatemalan material)
Typical greens	From yellowish to pure green; the source of imperial green	Often bluish, greyish or dark green; vivid pure green is rare
Typical specialties	Imperial green, glassy and icy material, lavender, red and yellow	Blue water (蓝水), oil green (油青), black, some lavender
Texture	Very wide range, up to very fine and glassy	Wide range; fine, translucent blue-water pieces exist
Treatment risk	Type B and C exist	Type B and C exist too
Market value	Sets the benchmark	Generally below Burmese pieces that look similar
Certificate	Usually says "jadeite", no origin	Usually says "jadeite", no origin

What is "blue water" jade, and is blue jade real jadeite?

"Blue water" (蓝水, lan shui) is a trade name for translucent jadeite with a cool, bluish-green or blue-grey tone, often with little visible texture. It is one of the colors Guatemalan jadeite is best known for, although Burmese blue-water jadeite also exists. Blue water is natural jadeite color, not a treatment, provided the piece is Type A.

Truly blue jadeite, as opposed to bluish green, is rare from any source. When you see a bright, even sky-blue "jade", be careful: dyed quartzite and glass are much more common than natural blue jadeite. See fake jade look-alikes.

A naming note: searches for "blue jadeite dishes" usually mean vintage milk-glass kitchenware sold under the name "Jade-ite" (for example by Fire-King). That is glass, not stone, and has nothing to do with jadeite jade.

What is oil-green (油青) jade?

Oil green (油青, you qing) is dark green with a grey or blue tone and a smooth, oily-looking surface, usually translucent rather than icy. It is common in Guatemalan jadeite and also in Burmese material. Traders value it below bright, pure green, because the grey tone makes it look dull, but well-polished oil-green bangles are popular everyday pieces and some men prefer the darker color.

Black Guatemalan jadeite is also common. As with Burmese black jadeite (墨翠), a strong light through a thin edge often shows dark green. See black jadeite.

Can you tell Guatemalan jade from Burmese jade by eye?

Usually not with confidence, and be wary of anyone who claims they always can. Experienced traders form an opinion from a set of clues: a bluish or greyish cast in the green, a slightly "drier" or less glossy look in some material, and the kinds of colors the piece shows. But each clue also appears in Burmese jadeite, and the finest Guatemalan blue water can be very convincing.

Instruments do not settle it easily either. Research labs can sometimes point to an origin with advanced analysis, but this is not part of a normal jadeite certificate.

What you can judge, whatever the origin, is the piece itself: translucency, color, evenness, cracks, workmanship and size. See zhong, shui and se explained and what determines jadeite price.

Does a jadeite certificate say where the jade is from?

Usually not. Most jadeite certificates name the material and whether it has been treated, for example "jadeite" for natural, untreated material, or "jadeite (treated)" for Type B. A standard certificate from China's National Gemstone Testing Center (NGTC), for example, names the material as 翡翠 (jadeite) whether it came from Myanmar or Guatemala.

So a certificate that says "jadeite" does not mean "Burmese jadeite". If a seller states an origin, ask how they know and treat it as their claim, not as something the certificate proves. See how to verify a jadeite certificate.

Is Guatemalan jade Type A? Is it worth buying?

Guatemalan jadeite can be Type A, B or C, exactly like Burmese jadeite. Origin says nothing about treatment. A blue-water bangle can be bleached and resin-filled just as easily as a Burmese one, so the certificate should still say natural, untreated jadeite. See Type A vs B vs C jadeite.

Whether it is worth buying depends on the piece and the price:

• It is a good choice if you like cool blue-green, oil-green or black tones. These are the colors Guatemalan material does well, often at a lower price than a Burmese piece of similar appearance.
• It is a poor choice if it is sold as Burmese at a Burmese price, or as "imperial green". Vivid imperial green comes almost entirely from Myanmar; see imperial green jadeite.
• For resale, the Chinese market currently pays more for Burmese material, so a Guatemalan piece is a piece to wear and enjoy rather than an investment.

How do I buy Guatemalan jade safely?

1. Ask the origin in writing, and ask how the seller knows. "I don't know" is an honest answer; a confident claim with no basis is not.
2. Ask for a lab certificate that names the material as jadeite and states no treatment. Check the number on the lab's website.
3. Look at the piece under different light. Blue-water and oil-green colors shift a lot between warm light, daylight and cold white LED. Ask for a video in daylight and with a flashlight.
4. Compare prices with similar pieces, not with the word "jade". Compare translucency, color, cracks and size.
5. Be wary of bright, even sky-blue at a low price: it is more likely dyed stone or glass.

On JadeiteHub, every listed piece is natural, untreated Type A jadeite with a lab certificate. Every sold piece is checked against its certificate before it ships, and if a piece does not match its description you get a full refund.