Actinolite is a green amphibole mineral. One fibrous form is an asbestos mineral, so its dust is a hazard and it should never be sanded or ground. Woven tightly, it forms nephrite, a kind of jade.
Silicate (amphibole group)
Actinolite
Actinolita
- Palette
- Green
- Mined in
- Taiwan, Canada, Madagascar, Tanzania, United States, Myanmar, Australia
- Hardness
- Mohs 5.0–6.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1794
- Named for
- Greek aktis, meaning beam or ray, for its fibers
- Also sold as
- cat's-eye actinolite, nephrite (the tough jade form), jade cat's-eye (old name)
- Intention
- Protection Abundance
- Looking for
- Protection Prosperity
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Bead sellers do not publish a standard disclosure for this stone, so what is done to the beads is not established; ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
3,000 YEARS
Nephrite jade, the tough form of actinolite, rode a sea trade route that ran for at least 3,000 years, long before the Silk Road existed.
TE WAI POUNAMU
New Zealand's South Island carries a Māori name meaning 'the land of greenstone water,' after the nephrite found there.
1978
In 1978 the International Mineralogical Association dropped nephrite as a mineral species name and replaced it with tremolite.
What it is
Actinolite is a green amphibole that grows as slim blades or fibers, pale to dark green and sometimes yellowish. Its fibers give a bright line of light when a stone is cut as a cabochon, and in a tightly woven mass it is the tough jade called nephrite. One fibrous form is an asbestos mineral, so cutting or sanding it is a hazard.
What gives it its color
The green of actinolite comes from the iron in its structure, and the more iron it holds, the darker the green.
Where it comes from
Gem-quality actinolite comes mainly from Taiwan and Canada, with smaller sources in Madagascar, Tanzania and the United States.
In history
In its tough, fine-grained form, actinolite is the mineral of nephrite jade. Hongshan people in northeast China were working nephrite by about 4700 BC and Liangzhu people on the Yangtze delta by 3400 BC, and Māori in New Zealand shaped nephrite pounamu into adzes, mere clubs and hei tiki pendants.
What's said about it
The books we checked have no lore for actinolite on its own, so what people say about it comes from jade. In older gem lore, jade was among the first stones people carried as a charm.
The name comes from the Greek word for a ray, for its fibrous look. A cat's-eye line can show in cut pieces.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, actinolite is paired with the heart chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, on a desk. People reach for it when they want protection, prosperity, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraHeart
ZodiacScorpio
ElementEarth
Also calledcat's-eye actinolite, nephrite (the tough jade form), jade cat's-eye (old name)
Care
- Medium hardness: it scratches on harder stones, so store it on its own.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth and dry it; skip ultrasonic cleaners.
- Never sand, cut or grind raw actinolite: the fibrous form is an asbestos mineral and its dust is a breathing hazard.
- Buy only finished, polished pieces from a seller who can say what the stone is.
How to tell what you have
- Actinolite is a green mineral that scratches easily (Mohs 5 to 6), and the tough jade called nephrite is a tightly woven form of it, so a bead sold under this name may be either.
- Fibrous raw material is an asbestos mineral, so only buy finished, polished pieces.
What sets the price
Actinolite is rarely cut into gems, so the few pieces that exist are priced by how clean and transparent they are, their size, and whether they show a cat's-eye shimmer.
Rules and sourcing
Actinolite in its fibrous (asbestos) form is an asbestos mineral under US law. Polished beads are not loose fiber, but do not grind, sand, drill or cut them without dust protection.
Questions people ask at our table
What is actinolite?
A green amphibole mineral that grows as blades and fibers. Packed tightly and woven together, it forms nephrite, one of the two stones called jade.
Is actinolite an asbestos mineral?
One fibrous form is, and it is classed as asbestos. The hazard is the loose dust from cutting or grinding it; polished finished pieces are a different matter. We would not sand or grind any actinolite.
Is it the stone inside cat's eye quartz?
Parallel fibers give a cat's-eye line, and fibrous inclusions can do this in some quartz too. Actinolite also shows its own cat's-eye glow when cut as a cabochon.
Is nephrite jade the same thing?
Nephrite is a form of actinolite, so yes in chemistry. Green jade and olive jade are the stones in our pieces with that look.
Do you carry actinolite?
No, we do not carry it. Our green jade and olive jade are the closest in color and feel.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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