Even though Maw-Sit-Sit sits beside Burma's finest Imperial Jadeite mines, it is NOT pure Jadeite—it's a surreal psychedelic multi-mineral breccia cranked neon emerald by ultra-rare Kosmochlor (NaCrSi2O6)! Born in Kachin State's tectonic fault zone where Chromium Chromite boulders got ground into white Albite and Jadeite, true Maw-Sit-Sit blends blazing electric green veins with inky dark black-green pools. Adjust Chromium saturation, shine a Chelsea filter, and bust cheap green-dyed marble/serpentine knockoffs.
Classic Burmese Maw-Sit-Sit ('Jade-Albite') • 1963 Gübelin Named
Kachin Maw-Sit-Sit: Swirling electric Kelly-green Kosmochlor veins framing stark ink-black Eckermannite/Chromite islands and pale Albite pockets.
Wait — Did You Know?Famous Swiss gemologist Eduard Gübelin officially studied Maw-Sit-Sit in 1963 after the tiny Kachin village where miners hauled out glowing chrome-green boulders—finding up to SIX interwoven silicate/oxide minerals in a single cabochon!
Select Specimen or Control Sample (8 Profiles)
Click any Burmese Jade belt rock or lookalike to inspect Kosmochlor chemistry, density, and Chelsea reaction:
Kosmochlor Cr3+ Saturation, Breccia Albite Veining & Chelsea Filter Sweep
Dial Cr3+ past 70% to transform pale Jadeite pyroxene into pure neon-electric Burmese Kosmochlor rock!
Primary Mineral AssemblyMohs 6.0-6.5 | SG 2.45-3.15
Hardness / Specific GravityRI ~1.52-1.74 (Multi-Phase!)
Optical & Imitation TellSwirling Neon Green & Ink Black!
Why SG Varies Wildly: Unlike single-mineral Jadeite (3.34), Albite-rich Maw-Sit-Sit drops to 2.5 while dense Kosmochlor hits 3.1+!
Why does this happen atom-by-atom? Read the 3-step physics strip below, then keep scrolling for Chapter 2 (Microscopic Atomic Zoom) and Chapter 3 (Interactive Real vs. Fake Split Loupe).
How The Crystal Physics Works (3-Step Flowchart)
Visual Mechanism Breakdown
1. Subduction Zone Fault Grinds Jadeite & Chromite
At Myanmar's Tawmaw suture zone (~150 Ma), high-pressure subduction crushed dark Chromium-rich Chromite pods directly beside white Albite and Jadeite veins.
2. Chrome-Rich Alkaline Fluids Form NaCrSi2O6
Cr3+ invaded white Al-pyroxene and feldspar fractures, crystallizing blazing electric Kelly-green Kosmochlor rims alongside black Eckermannite amphiboles.
❌ MYTH: Maw-Sit-Sit is just a brand name for dark spotted Nephrite or cheap Imperial Jadeite.
✅ FACT: Maw-Sit-Sit is its own distinct geological rock—a multi-mineral subduction breccia colored by Kosmochlor (NaCrSi2O6), totally different chemically from Ca-Mg Nephrite or pure Al-Jadeite!
❌ MYTH: If a Maw-Sit-Sit cabochon has Specific Gravity of 2.65 instead of 3.34, it must be fake plastic or glass.
✅ FACT: Wrong! Authentic Maw-Sit-Sit mixes dense Kosmochlor (3.55) with lightweight white Albite/Natrolite/Clinochlore (2.2-2.6), causing real SG to swing legitimately from ~2.45 up to ~3.15.
❌ MYTH: Kosmochlor only grows in one tiny village in northern Myanmar.
✅ FACT: While Myanmar produces nearly 100% of gem Maw-Sit-Sit, microscopic Kosmochlor crystals actually occur inside several famous Iron Meteorites (Toluca, Coahuila) plus alpine jadeite zones in Italy & Japan!
Chapter 3 of 3 • Interactive Real vs. Fake Split Loupe
Authentic Specimen vs. Fake / Impostor Drag-Loupe
Drag the divider left/right — toggle Probe Mode for forensic lighting, cleavage & bubble inspection.
60-Second Pocket Field Test Checklist
Inspect under a 10x loupe: genuine Maw-Sit-Sit shows crisp interlocking fibrous crystal bands (green Kosmochlor + dark black amphibole/chromite + silky white feldspar), NEVER uniform green ink trapped in sandstone pores.
Run a careful hidden Mohs check on unpolished matrix backs: pyroxene-rich zones resist steel needles cleanly (~Mohs 6.0-6.5), easily beating soft Mohs 3.5-4.5 dyed Serpentine or Variscite.
Swipe an inconspicuous corner with acetone on a cotton swab: natural silicate Kosmochlor holds permanent structural Chromium color and will NEVER rub green onto cotton.
Check Chelsea Filter response: natural Kosmochlor shows dull dark green or faint dusky brownish-gray—unnatural bright candy pink flashes betray certain emerald-dyed imitations.
Collector Caution & Fake Alert: Unlike uniform translucent Imperial Jadeite (strictly SG 3.34), authentic Maw-Sit-Sit is a natural multi-mineral ROCK whose density swings from SG 2.45 (white Albite/Natrolite-rich pieces) up to SG 3.15 (dark Kosmochlor-rich pieces)! Never reject a real Maw-Sit-Sit just because SG < 3.30—and always inspect grain textures under 10x magnification instead of relying on SG alone!
Collector Field Guide & Mineralogy Deep Dive
Locality, Chemistry & Optical Notes
🗺️ 1963: Eduard Gübelin Visits Kansi-Tawmaw
Named after the Kachin State hamlet near Myanmar's famed Hpakant jade mines, Maw-Sit-Sit stunned Swiss mineralogists in 1963 when X-ray powder patterns revealed its neon veins weren't Cr-stained Jadeite—they were macroscopic ribbons of cosmic-named Kosmochlor!
☄️ From Mexican Iron Meteorites To Burmese Mines
For 80 years after chemists extracted bright emerald micro-grains from Mexico's Toluca Iron Meteorite in 1897, scientists thought Ureyite/Kosmochlor (NaCrSi2O6) existed mostly in space rocks—until Maw-Sit-Sit handed Earth vivid boulder-sized chunks!
🎨 Why Patterns Never Repeat Twice
Because Maw-Sit-Sit crystallized during violent subduction fault crushing—followed by jagged emerald fluid replacement—every cabochon preserves a one-of-a-kind abstract painting of sharp black islands, emerald ribbons, and snowy Albite clouds.
🛡️ Care Note: Why To Avoid Harsh Acid Dips
Though Kosmochlor itself hits tough Mohs 6.5–7.0, white Albite/Natrolite and soft Clinochlore pockets inside real Maw-Sit-Sit can etch dull under strong acid bleaches or lose luster in ultrasonic baths—mild soapy water and soft cloth only!
Diagnostic Specimen Comparison Matrix
Quick Laboratory & Collector Reference
Mineral / Control
Formula & System
Key Physical Metric
Diagnostic Tell
Classic Locality
Kachin Maw-Sit-Sit
Kosmochlor + Albite + Amphibole
Mohs 6.0-6.5 | SG 2.45-3.15
Psychedelic neon green + black veins; multi-RI
Tawmaw / Kansi, Myanmar
Pure Kosmochlor
NaCrSi2O6 | Monoclinic
Mohs 6.5-7.0 | SG 3.55
Deep forest-neon pyroxene; RI ~1.76
Myanmar / Iron Meteorites
Imperial Jadeite
Na(Al,Cr)Si2O6 | Monoclinic
Mohs 6.5-7.0 | SG 3.34
Translucent uniform emerald grain; RI 1.66
Hpakant, Myanmar
Omphacite Black Jade
(Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al)Si2O6
Mohs 6.5-7.0 | SG 3.35
Looks black; transmits emerald torch glow
Hpakant / Guatemala
Utah Variscite
AlPO4·2H2O | Orthorhombic
Mohs 4.5 | SG 2.52
Waxy soft cobwebbed mint; scratches w/ steel
Utah / Australia
Dyed Quartzite/Serp
Cracked Quartz / Mg-Silicate
Chelsea Pink / Dye Pools
Ink pools in cracks; acetone wipes green
Synthetic Dyed Fake
Frequently Asked Mineralogy Questions
Collector & Lab Answers
Is Maw-Sit-Sit actually a type of Jade?
Scientifically no—true Jade is either pure Jadeite or Nephrite. Maw-Sit-Sit is a rare multi-mineral rock-gem mined alongside Burmese Jadeite, colored blazing neon-green by ultra-rare Kosmochlor (NaCrSi2O6) rather than Aluminum Jadeite.
What mineral gives Maw-Sit-Sit its electric green color?
Kosmochlor (historically called Ureyite, NaCrSi2O6)—the 100% Chromium pyroxene analog of Jadeite—powers Maw-Sit-Sit's unmistakable saturated emerald-neon ribbons.
Why was Kosmochlor first discovered in a meteorite?
Microscopic crystals of NaCrSi2O6 were identified in 1897 inside the Toluca Iron Meteorite from Mexico and named 'Kosmochlor' ('space green') long before boulder-sized terrestrial deposits were confirmed inside Myanmar's Maw-Sit-Sit.
How can I tell real Maw-Sit-Sit from dyed Serpentine or dyed Quartzite?
Real Maw-Sit-Sit shows distinct fibrous crystal intergrowths of green Kosmochlor, dark black amphibole/chromite, and white Albite under a 10x loupe without green dye pooling inside grain cracks, resists acetone swabbing, and scores Mohs 6.0–6.5.
Why does Specific Gravity vary so much on genuine Maw-Sit-Sit stones?
Because Maw-Sit-Sit is a natural breccia combining dense Kosmochlor/Chromite (SG 3.5–4.5) with lighter Albite/Natrolite/Clinochlore (SG 2.2–2.6), genuine tested cabs range between SG 2.45 and 3.15 depending on dark-vs-white balance.