Glittering Sleek Jade

Old Norse glitra, to shine — present-participle of glitter. As a color modifier, glittering implies a saturated-and-multi-point-reflective quality, the bright color of sequined-and-rhinestone fabric-and-gem-decoration surfaces. Sits at the bright-and-reflective end of the grid, parallel to sparkling and glistening in usage.

Middle Dutch sleeck, smooth. As a color modifier, sleek implies a smooth-and-streamlined quality, the visual register of Mid-Century-Modern-and-Streamline-Moderne-sleek hand-streamlined-and-aerodynamic-and-polished aluminum-and-chrome-and-bakelite Mid-Century-Modern-and-Streamline-Moderne sleek-and-streamlined surfaces under Mid-Century-Modern-and-Streamline-Moderne sleek-and-polished light. Sits at the modifier-and-texture end of the grid, parallel to gloss and shine in usage.

Two minerals share the name: nephrite (a calcium-magnesium silicate, dominant in Chinese jade) and jadeite (a sodium-aluminum silicate, dominant in Burmese imperial jade). Both have been carved in China since at least the Neolithic. The color refers to high-quality apple-green jadeite: a saturated, slightly muted yellow-green with the waxy translucency of polished stone. Cooler than apple, warmer than mint, with the millennial cultural weight of yu, the stone of heaven.