Jade Crystal: Healing Properties, How To Work With It & More

From jade face rollers to jade bracelets and rings, you've undoubtedly seen this striking green crystal before—but why is this stone so universally popular? Here, we're diving into the history of jade, its properties, how to use it, and more, according to experts.

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It's important to understand what jade actually is—and what it's not—because according to Ashley Leavy, founder and educational director of the Love and Light School of Crystal Therapy, there are a lot of fakes out there, and a lot of stones are often called jade when they're not jade at all.

As she tells mindbodygreen, authentic jade can technically be one of two different materials: nephrite jade, or jadeite. "Jadeite is made up of small, granular crystals, [whereas] nephrite jade has more of a fibrous inner structure, which when polished can sometimes give it a bit of a silky appearance," she notes. Jade can also come in a range of colors, from green to black to lavender and even sometimes blue, she tells mindbodygreen.

"So either one of those minerals is considered true jade," Leavy explains, adding that this stone is highly sought after and has a rich history around the world.

In ancient China, for instance, it was used to assist loved ones passing into the afterlife and had similar uses in ancient Mesoamerica. "Particularly in Central America, like in Guatemala, we see a lot of jade artifacts associated with the deceased, so it's really interesting that even though these cultures were very far apart and distanced, jade was being used in similar ways by ancient people," she says.

Nowadays, jade has become a popular crystal all around the world and is still most sought after and revered in China, according to Leavy, where it has traditionally been associated with health, longevity, prosperity, and power.

One of the things jade is most well known for is its association with luck, abundance, and wealth (hence why it made our list of the best crystals for attracting money and the best crystals for good luck).

According to astrology expert and modern mystic Imani Quinn, jade's historical associations with wealth and prosperity are still relevant today, and it also helps to foster the personal growth necessary for making your own luck.

And as energy healer Kalisa Augustine previously explained to mindbodygreen, "Jade actually does a lot metaphysically and for the nervous system, but it is especially interesting for attracting dough because it helps you keep calm in the middle of the storm."

The seven main chakras each have different crystals that are best suited for them, and in the case of jade, it's an excellent one for connecting to your heart chakra.

As Quinn tells mindbodygreen, jade supports peace, serenity, and comfort by helping you to tap into compassion in your heart. "It can also help with diminishing fears or anything that keeps you from coming from an open heart center," she adds.

Overall, this is a great crystal for helping you to balance your energy. As Leavy tells mindbodygreen, jade can be calming because it's earthy and grounding and can even help you tap into new insights during meditation.

"It's an excellent stone for bringing mind, body, and spirit back into balance, as well as stimulating creativity and bringing in more intuitive dreams," she adds.

Because of jade's connection to the heart chakra, you can incorporate it into your favorite chakra-balancing rituals. For the heart chakra in particular, spiritual guru Yogi Cameron previously wrote for mindbodygreen that visualization is the best tool for it and becomes even more effective when paired with a mudra, or hand gesture.

Here's a heart chakra visualization complete with a mudra to try yourself:

If you're looking to manifest more money, Quinn suggests using your jade in a candle magic ritual for wealth or even adding it to a spell jar for money.

"You put your jade in or on a candle if you want to bring abundance and luck into your life," she says, adding that she recommends using a green candle to further up those money vibes.

According to Leavy, jade has some historical associations with dreams, intuition, and rejuvenation, thanks to its connection to other worlds and the afterlife. "It's associated with astral travel and connecting with the spirit world and has traditional association with rejuvenation and rebirth as well," she explains, adding, "Because of that association with rejuvenation, some people sleep with jade because it's thought to help you get a restful night's sleep."

One simple way to work with any crystal is by placing it on your altar. It becomes even more effective if your altar is set for a particular goal, such as good luck or manifesting money.

As Quinn tells mindbodygreen, "If you have an altar and you want to work on releasing fears, abundance, or bringing more serenity and peace into your life, you can put it on your altar with the intention of infusing that into your life," she explains.

And as Leavy adds, you can charge up the jade for your altar by placing it in a dish of mint, cinnamon sticks, or any other herbs/spices associated with abundance.

Want to keep things simple? Don't forget you can wear your jade as jewelry or just keep it on your person or in your purse! As Quinn notes, jade makes for excellent necklaces, so you can have it right over your heart chakra all day long.

Things like jade bangles and rings are also super common, especially in Chinese culture, and having jade on your hands can be a helpful reminder to keep your heart open and stay grounded whenever it catches your eye.

Lastly, as aforementioned, jade has become a popular tool in beauty routines, with jade gua sha stones and jade face rollers littering shelves everywhere. Of course, we can't guarantee that the jade rollers you're finding in stores are authentic, so watch out for the fakes.

But as Leavy notes, these various jade massage tools make sense, given this stone's connection back to ancient times with healing and rejuvenation—so feel free to roll away.

Jade pairs well with a number of different crystals depending on what you're using it for. For instance, Quinn explains, you could pair jade with rose quartz, peridot, amazonite, or malachite for heart chakra work.

If you wanted to use it to bring in a sense of peace and calm, you could go for some lavender jade, moonstone, or amethyst.

And if you wanted to use jade for its earthy, grounding effects, other grounding stones to work with include obsidian, moss agate, smoky quartz, black tourmaline, or shungite.

When it comes to cleansing and charging your jade, any of your favorite methods will do. This is a relatively harder stone, so it's safe to use water to cleanse it, but you shouldn't keep it submerged for too long.

Other cleansing methods like moonlight, sound, smoke, or your own breath, would all work well. Be sure to check out our full guide to cleansing and charging crystals for more ideas.

And be sure to keep your jade stores in a soft bag when you're not using it, to prevent any scratching or tarnishing.

Jade has a number of uses, from manifesting wealth, abundance, and good luck, to being grounding and calming and even helping to increase intuition and connection to spiritual worlds.

Jade is a powerful stone for manifesting luck, abundance, and wealth.

Anyone who wants to call in more luck and abundance, or open their heart chakra, should wear jade.

Yes, jade has a long history of being associated with good luck and abundance.

Who wouldn't want to manifest a little more good luck in their life? Next time you want to up your chances of a financial windfall—or simply tap into your heart center—jade is definitely a stone to reach for.

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Sarah Regan is a Spirituality & Relationships Editor, a registered yoga instructor, and an avid astrologer and tarot reader. She received her bachelor's in broadcasting and mass communication from State University of New York at Oswego, and lives in Buffalo, New York.