Raman Spectroscopy Study on the Mineral Composition of the Guatemalan Jade

Guatemala is another jade commercial origin in addition to the Myanmar. The Guatemalan jade is usually an assemblage of a variety of mineral compositions, and the mineral composition is unique and different from the Myanmar jade. The characteristics of the structures and paragenetic minerals of the purple and gray-green jade from Guatemala were studied by laser Raman spectroscopy analysis. The results show that the jadeite is a major constituent mineral in Guatemala jade, associated by a variety of coexisting minerals. The paragenetic minerals in Guatemalan jade can be divided into five categories, including the dark minerals hornblende, dolomite, omphacite, chlorite, and light-colored mineral apatite. The hornblende, dolomite, omphacite and chlorite are also the paragenetic minerals in the Myanmar jade, but the apatite is almost invisible in the Myanmar jadeite.