nephrite
nef rahyt
- n an amphibole mineral consisting of calcium magnesium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form; a source of jade that is less valuable than from jadeite; once believed to cure kidney disorders
- And it may in fact be any one of three very hard minerals: nephrite, jadeite and chloromelanite.
- He produced everything from an image of Buddha in nephrite (a form of jade) for the King of Siam to many of the great gold and silver plates on which the major towns of Russia .