Beginning June 1st, 2025, jadeite jade authenticity reports issued by Mason-Kay, started to look a little different. Mason-Kay, U.S. jade experts located in Colorado, have added a new sentence at the bottom of the report – “Internationally known as ‘Fei Cui’, an umbrella term for pyroxene jades comprised primarily of jadeite, omphacite, kosmochlor, or any combination thereof.”
This adjustment follows the GIA’s 2023 decision to include the phrase “Known in the trade as ‘Fei Cui’” accompanied in the notes section with the explanation – “The term ‘Fei Cui’ refers to jadeite, omphacite, and kosmochlor” on their Jadeite Jade reports. As both statements imply, the term “Fei Cui” is not new, and has been part of the Asian jadeite jade nomenclature for over a decade.
But what is Fei Cui? And why should we care?
by Emily “D.D.” Frontiere
for the Roskin Gem News Report
Jordan Wentz, an associate of Mason-Kay and host of YouTube channel Jewels of the Trade (JOTT), spoke with us about the history and definition of the term and why its inclusion in Western nomenclature is so important. Additional information was graciously provided by Dr. Aaron Palke, a senior researcher at GIA.
What is “Fei Cui”?
In January of 2024, The Roskin Gem News Report published an article explaining “Fei Cui” in response to the GIA’s decision to amend their reports which you can read here. Essentially, that article outlines how, what we thought of as jadeite jade is, by nature, an aggregate material, known colloquially as a rock. Specifically, that aggregate rock is made up of three minerals – jadeite, omphacite, and kosmochlor – that are present in varying concentrations in a binding solid solution series. Technically, the label “jadeite jade”, only applies if jadeite is the predominant mineral present. Should one of the other minerals be dominant, the gem would be called by that name. For example, if the prevailing mineral is omphacite, the accurate name for that stone would be “omphacite jade”.
Total Destruction is NOT an Option
On her Jewels of the Trade channel, Wentz interviewed Richard Hughes and Kaylan Khourie of Lotus Gemology who explained that the unique mixture of the three minerals in any given rock cannot be determined because it would require the testing of every individual grain in a stone. Current technology can only spot test the gem’s surface, not the interior. In Khourie’s words, “if you really want to be certain of the composition of the material, you have to analyze everything in it. Every single grain… you would have to destroy the stone, powder it, and analyze that powder.” Thus, the term “Fei Cui” acknowledges that we don’t know the specific mineral complexities that defines each unique jade rock, yet, still embraces all gems as part of the same chemical family. [Read more about Fei Cui here from Lotus Gemology]
How GIA Makes the Call
Dr. Palke explained that the GIA labs make their determination of “jadeite jade” versus “omphacite jade” (kosmochlor jade is so rare that Dr. Palke reported never having observed one directly) by using Raman spectroscopy to examine small areas on the surface of stones. “Usually”, he said, “three to six spot tests are performed, but more are done should there be questions.” He noted that the GIA labs are able to perform larger-scale Raman mapping that scans the entire outer surface of the stone, as well as “bulk” X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometry testing. However, Dr. Palke stressed that the results of these more time-consuming tests are rarely inconsistent with the three to six individual Raman spectroscopy measurements and are used for research purposes.
The Inclusion of “Fei Cui” Does Not Invalidate Previous Reports
Wentz stressed that it is important to understand that the inclusion of “Fei Cui” in new Mason-Kay reports as well as their GIA counterparts do not in any way impact the previous grading of any jadeite jade gem. The attributes and value of jadeite jade graded before the change are entirely unaffected.
“What has changed,” she said, “is how we understand jade. The addition of the inclusive ‘Fei Cui’ term solves that problem…Our testing process has not changed. The title on the report has not changed. We are still going to say, ‘this is jadeite jade’. ‘This is A jade’. The only addition is at the bottom explaining the meaning of the phrase ‘Fei Cui’”.
Origin Determination?
In the fine Fei Cui market, the origin of gems can have a significant impact on price. However, there is overlap in the apparent color and texture expression between some sites. Dr. Palke spoke about green Guatemalan Fei Cui being sold through China that is marketed as being of Burmese origin.
Wentz shared that it is possible that specific concentrations of the three pyroxene minerals might be origin-specific, a discovery which would greatly limit such deception, and Dr. Palke described this as “an active area of research at the GIA.” In particular, he said that an instrument the GIA already uses for origin determination for other gemstones may be applicable to Fei Cui – Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). This tool, he says, “measures trace element chemistry in a variety of different gems and is used frequently for our origin determination services of other materials.”
[LA-ICPMS, or Laser Ablation, is a technique that vaporizes a tiny spot of a sample with a laser, then analyzes the elements in that vapor. In Fei Cui testing, it identifies and quantifies jadeite, omphacite, and kosmochlor.]
The Best is Still the Best – No Matter What You Call It
Reflecting on when the Western Fei Cui trade began to realize that their current understanding of the stone was incomplete, Wentz referenced that the GIA realized in 2012 that some of what was called jadeite jade on the market was predominately omphacite, making it technically omphacite jade – “it came to light that some of the finest imperial jade was omphacite.
“But it was still so chemically similar… Still so beautiful and rare and desirable.
“The trade did not want customers to get that omphacite jade report and think, ‘oh no. This is a less valuable stone. I’ve never heard of omphacite before.’ That kickstarted the search for a solution because the attributes and beauty of the stone are just not that different. The need for an umbrella term is so that customers who buy a piece of jade and it turns out to be omphacite jade on a report don’t feel like they have something that is less valuable.”
The Customer’s Reaction
Jeff Mason of Mason-Kay echoed this concern, saying that it was confusing to his customers to hear the unfamiliar term “omphacite jade.” The use of a single inclusive term helped buyers and collectors understand that, what they knew as jadeite jade was an aggregate material that had a whole spectrum of possible mineral concentrations.
How “Fei Cui” is Used in the Global Jadeite Jade Trade
Once it was accepted/understood that materials previously known only as jadeite jade might actually be omphacite jade or the rare kosmochlor jade, the Western jade market needed to employ a new inclusive term that acknowledged the wider spectrum.
“Fei Cui”, according to Wentz, was the obvious choice as it is already used by China, which plays host to 95% or more of the global jadeite jade market. During an interview with Wentz on JOTT in March of 2025, Dr. Zemin Luo, who operates the Bay Area Gem Lab in California, stated that the Chinese market has been using “Fei Cui” to refer to all three mineral options since 2014, and CIBJO has been developing a standard definition since late 2023. Additionally, Hughes said in his interview with Wentz that individuals in China and Hong Kong employ “Fei Cui” to describe material of any color, including black, red, and yellow, as well as the famous green. Also, Wentz added that Dr. Edward Liu, a pioneering jade researcher, has long championed the international use of “Fei Cui” so that the market has an accurate and standardized term for the gem.
It should be noted that there was a second candidate for the new umbrella term in addition to Fei Cui, “pyroxene jade”. However, Wentz pointed out that the exotic term “Fei Cui” was less sterile and far more evocative than “pyroxene jade”.
“Fei Cui” is Already Becoming Accepted by the Newest Generation of Jadeite Jade Buyers
One of the hallmarks of the modern world is the use of the internet to connect global communities, and the Fei Cui market is no exception. As mentioned above, China is the undisputed center of the jade trade. As a result, the overwhelming majority of Fei Cui seen by U.S. buyers who shop virtually has been touched by China at some point and bears the “Fei Cui” label on accompanying documentation. Thus, the newest generation of savvy online Western buyers have been exposed to the term and have already incorporated it into their vocabulary.
Indeed, Wentz reports that many buyers who come to Mason-Kay are specifically asking for “Fei Cui”. Kris Mason, also of Mason-Kay, stated that “people who know and love jadeite jade are not bothered by the term.”
Education for the Retail Jeweler
Interestingly, Wentz stated that the people in the English-speaking world who are not yet familiar with “Fei Cui” are established jewelry sellers, particularly those who run small businesses that sell just a handful of jade items in any given year. These individuals, Wentz explained, don’t see enough of the material to be exposed to changing conventions, and likely didn’t have a deep underlying understanding of the material in the first place that they could build on. This is the demographic that is most in need of education as Wentz predicts that educated buyers are going to use the term more and more frequently.
Is “Jadeite Jade” Doomed?
When asked if the GIA reports might eventually drop the term “jadeite jade” in favor of “fei cui,” Dr. Palke said that GIA plans to continue using “jadeite jade” to fully describe the material, but that GIA is monitoring the marketplace, and is willing to make adjustments so that the wording in their reports continues to communicate effectively to their clients. This is a long-term process and Dr. Palke said people should not expect such a change to happen within the next few years, stating, “It is not demanded at this point, but we are going to be watching things over the next ten years.”
Final Takeaways
Changing our words and descriptive language is difficult, but, in this case, ‘Fei Cui’ is simply the most scientifically accurate term available. It includes in its umbrella the three minerals that comprise what we knew as jadeite jade, recognizes the limitation of our testing instruments in determining precise concentrations of each component, and is consistent with the usage of the term by the majority of international jade buyers. Because of this, Wentz predicts that in the next ten to twenty years, U.S. jade buyers will have incorporated “Fei Cui” as part of their regular nomenclature for the gem and is delighted that Mason-Kay’s reports now include the term.
by Emily “D.D.” Frontiere
for the Roskin Gem News Report
About the Author:
Emily “D.D.” Frontiere is a gemologist, gems and jewelry appraiser, and freelance writer based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. You can read more of her work here as well as posted with the International Gem Society. ddfrontiere@gmail.com.
