In China, jade (yu) encompasses two distinct minerals: nephrite (a calcium magnesium silicate) and jadeite (a sodium aluminum silicate). Nephrite is the traditional Chinese jade — the stone used for the earliest ritual carvings dating to the Neolithic Liangzhu and Hongshan cultures (3500–2000 BCE) and for the great imperial carvings of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Nephrite ranges from white ('mutton fat' jade, the most prized) through celadon green, grey, black, and yellow-brown (often called 'russet jade' when the natural skin of the stone is incorporated into the carving). Jadeite, which comes primarily from Burma (Myanmar) and was not used in China until the late 18th century, can achieve the brilliant 'imperial green' — a translucent, vivid emerald color associated with fine jewelry — but also occurs in white, lavender, and mottled patterns.

Carved jade figures and animals are the most common forms in Texas estate sales: the ubiquitous 'Buddha' or laughing Budai figure in white jade, the carved Guanyin (goddess of mercy), animal figures (rabbits, horses, fish, dragons), vases and bowls in boulder form, and the flat disc (bi) and tube (cong) forms that reference ancient ritual jade. The quality range is enormous: from small tourist-grade carvings in nephrite offcuts to major imperial-period pieces that represent the highest achievement of Chinese lapidary art.

Related hardstones appear alongside jade in Chinese decorative art: rock crystal (colorless quartz), rose quartz, smoky quartz, amethyst, agate (including the banded sardonyx and carnelian used in snuff bottles), lapis lazuli, coral (red and pink, used for Buddhist prayer beads and Mandarin hat finials), turquoise, and malachite. Chinese scholars' rocks (gongshi) in naturally shaped limestone or other stone are a specialized collecting category.