How To Work With Jade For Luck, Money & More, From Crystal Experts

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.