California Jade Deposits

Huge masses of jadeite are found in San Benito County , California.

In Cloverdale , Sonoma County , California, jadeit e veins can be found.

The region within the Monterey Marine Sanctuary known as the Jade Cove area consists of a series of small coves located south of Big Sur, near Gorda, California. Jade occurs in veins in the serpentine bedrock formation, extending from inland mountains, down the cliffs and into the seabed.

WORLD JADEITE DEPOSITS

Jade in the New World was used extensively by the Maya, Aztec, Olmec and other pre-Colombian cultures. It was considered to have magical properties and was the most precious object on earth, reserved for the use of the noble class. The conquistadors were amazed at the devotion the natives of the New World showed for this "green stone" which they prized more highly than gold. Due to its permanent, unchanging eternal properties it was considered a passport to immortality.

Jadeite nodule (height - 8.5 cm)

Guerrero Negro,

Baja California Norte, Mexico.

Guatemala ‘s Jadeite

A unique jadeite, named "Galactic Gold," naturally embedded with various metallic inclusions

http://www.jades.centroamerica.com/whatisjade.htm

.

Nephrite

Nephrite ( chen yu or true jade) , the tr aditional Chinese jade, is mineralogic

ally a monoclinic amphibole of variabl e chemistry that ranges between the

end members tremolite [Ca2

Mg5

Si8

O

22(OH)

2 ] and ferroactinolite [Ca

2Fe5

Si8

O22

(OH)2

]. The magnesium in tre molite is often partially replaced by ir

on and the two minerals grade optical ly and chemically one into the other.

The colour of nephrite varies from white , yellow, green and brown to black,

depending on the amount of iron subs - tituting for magnesium. Iron poor tre

molite is white, grey or green; wherea s -iron rich varieties (actinolite) are da

- rker green, grey green, and grading t hough to black. Cowell jade is nephrit

e jade that has an iron content of up t o 7.9 per cent Fe

203

.

Presently, the largest known deposit of high-quality (nephrite) jade in the world is located outside of the small town of Cowell, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsular.

Ninety-one (91) separate jade outcrops were identified in 1974, but subsequent mapping has now increased this to well over a hundred. All outcrops of nephrite are located within an area of about 10 km2, referred to as the Cowell Jade Province.

NEPHRITE DEPOSITS OF AUSTRALIA

http://www.gem.org.au/gallery/jadetext.html

Cowell

South Austalia

GEOLOGY

The (nephrite) jade bodies at Cowell typically have elongate, lensoid shapes in outcrop. Host rocks for Cowell nephrite are dolomitic marble and banded calc-silicate of the Early to Middle Proterozoic Minbrie Gneiss Complex. These high-grade metamorphic rocks were produced during the first and second deformational events of the Kimban Orogeny, about 1840 and 1780 million years (Ma) ago respectively. Subsequent retrogression occurred about 1700 Ma with later cross-warping and alteration about 1590-1600 Ma. Nephrite only formed within the alteration/retrogression assemblages.

Alteration zones, consisting of tremolite, chlorite, epidote, clinozoisite/zoisite and talc, occur particularly along the margins of, or in close proximity to intrusive chloritised feldspar rock that has intruded dolomitic marble.

Cowell nephrite formed:

1 . Within alteration zones as large lenses up to 40 m long by 3 m wide, conformable w

iii iiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiii 2 . Within cross fractures up to a metre wid

- e parallel to the axial plane of late stage cr- oss warping. Nephrite in cross fractures is t

ypically high quality, fine grained, massive, - and dark green to black but sometimes it d oes occur in rarer translucent light green c

olours. 3.By irregular alteration of coarse grained,

brecciated diopside? producing schistose n ephrite that often has diopside inclusions.

The Cowell geological setting of Middle Pro terozoic dolomitic marble host rocks contra

sts with other major occurrences of nephrit e in New Zealand, Canada and Taiwan; whe re nephrite lenses occur within or along the

faulted margins of serpentinised ultramafic rocks such as peridotites.

Australian Nephrite

http://www.gca.com.au/GCA_australian.htm

Harp made from carve d black Cowell (nephri

te) jade and cast silver

Carvings made from Cowell (nephrite) jade

http://www.gem.org.au/gallery/index.html

http://www.gca.com.au/GCA_jadeart.htm

Southern Frazier River drainage, British Columbia

Fine nephrite, supports large industry

Some nephrite found in place with serpentinite.

A recent find in British Columbia brings an entirely new nephrite jade to market. It is called "Polar Jade," because of its origin and is the greenest and hardest nephrite yet found.

Related Websites: www.princessjade.com/ www.jademine.com/ www.canadianrockhound.com/

The Jade Mines of B.C.

http://www.canadianrockhound.com/2 0 0 0 /0 2 /cr0 0 0 4 2 0 2_jademines.html

Canada has been selling jade all over th e world for many years. We have sold ja

de to New Zealand for the Maori to carv e since 1974 when Joe Bell and Jeannie

MacCulloch went there on a marketing trip. Canada is also selling jade to Wyo ming and in 1988, 700 tonnes of Canadi

an nephrite jade from British Columbia was sold to China – 300 tonnes of this w

as Jade West production. Ninety per ce nt of the jade produced in Canada is sol

d to China.

PRINCES JADE MINE

http://www.princessjade.com/

One of the specially designed diamond impregnated saws for slabbing jade at

the Jade Queen Mine site on Mount Syd ney Williams, B.C.

M.J. Beley shows a large slab cut from a boulder at The Jade Queen Mine on O'N

- e ell Creek, Mount Sydney Williams, B. C.

This nephrite jade boulder, also known as the The Buddha Boulder, was mined from Ogden Mountain and weighed 11,000 pounds.

Exploratory Diamond Drilling on new Jade discoveries.

KUTCHO CREEK

June 2000

Drilling and removing jade found in place. Jade appears "white" until cut open (POLAR JADE

MINE //AUGUST 2000)

A translucent slab of B.C. jade with its characteristic deep green colour.

Preparing to transport jade to camp

Loaded and trimmed jade ready for 100 mile trip to highway over permafrost trail. Each truck carries 13 tonnes of jade.

OOOPS!! Halfway to Highway! Same load of jade, new 6 x 6 truck. Jade boulders are buried underneath in a swamp.

http://www.jademine.com/

Jade

frog (height ~ 12cm)

by Gerd Dreher

from British Columbia

Canadian Museum of Nature

(www.cst.cmich.edu/users/dietr1rv/

-gemrxD K.htm)

Jade tiles used for flooring, fireplaces, countertops, tables and lamps.

British Columbia jade and marble tiles

New Zealand, South Island

Fine green nephrite originally carved by natives into religious objects and weapons

Nephrite Deposits of

POUNAMU(GREENSTONE) & (NEPHRITE JADE)

The scientific name is nephrite jade, commonly known as Greenstone in New Zealand, but its native name given by the Maori people is ‘Pounamu’.

Pounamu is found only on the South Islands Westcoast within New Zealand, in two main areas - Hokitika (the Pounamu Jade Capital) in North Westland and in the inaccessible bush below Jacksons Bay - South Westland. http://www.l

awas.co.nz/LINKS/tikipage.htm

-http://www.kahu artistry.com/pounamu.html

Pounamu is found in river beds of New Zealand's Westland district. The largest fields being found at Arahura & Taramakau.. No rock seam of nephrite has been found. Over time boulders revealed by earth movement & alluvial erosion are flushed out into the rivers.

The emerald green of kahurangi & the milkey green of inanga are among the varieties most dear to the Maori. The Maori regarded Pounamu as a treasure of immense spiritual & material value. Its ethereal qualities making it the most prized possession representative of mana (spiritual power) & rank. The courage, endurance & skill involved in locating & working the stone added to its prestige. For its beauty & strength, the Maori used jade in place of metal for jewellery, tools, and weapons.

This traditional triple crosso ver pendant design in Sout

h island nephrite jade is by master carver Colin Bennet

t. New Zealand jade or 'pou namu' is among the finest a

nd most beautiful in the wo rld. To wear a piece like this

conveys to the world that y ou are a person of much 'm

ana' or prestige.

Jade Studiohttp://www.mountainjade.co.nz/

ALASKAN JADE Paul Howard Elanora, Queensland

The Australian Gemmologist,

- V. 20, No. 4, October December 1998

Gem quality nephrite known commercially as Alaskan jade is mined from several deposits in north west Alaska's Baird or Jade Mountains. First discovered by native Eskimos, this attractively coloured and patterned nephrite is considered to be a jade of world significance In this paper, the author will summarise present knowledge concerning the history of exploitation, occurrence, economic deposits, methods of recovery, gemmological features, and present status of supply of the nephrite known as Alaskan jade.

Alaskan Nephrite Jade Shown is a nephrite jade boulder and necklace, fro

m the Kobuk River region , northwestern Alaska. Ar

tifacts made from Kobuk River nephrite are hundr

eds of years old and have been found at archaeolog

ical sites along the Berin g and Pacific coasts of Al

aska and British Columbi a, and the Arctic coast of

Canada. Government geo logists determined that t

he jade and asbestos at t -he locality occur in a 40

mile stretch of altered ult ra basic rocks consisting

mainly of serpentine that extends north of, and rou

ghly parallel to, the Kobu k River. The finest materi al is usually found in smo

- oth, stream rolled boulde - rs such as the 10 pound e

xample featured here.

Wyoming, near Lander; since 1936 Nephrite bould ers, some very

-large (house si ze), in glacial d

eposits that co ver the chaparr

al and desert c ountry around

Lander . Some l ovely green jad

e; also "golden jade", a golden brown variety.

Most boulders are covered wit

h a white to gra y weathering ri

nd that hides t he true color of the jade within

.

Turkestan (central Asia between Iran and Siberia)

Earliest known source of nephrite

Used by early Chinese for carving

Nephritic jade was originally found in the form of pebbles from alluvial deposits in Chinese Turkestan (Xinjiang) and was first mined from rock in the 12th century.

Others:

Poland (white nephrite); The Jordensmis hl Nephrite Jade Deposit in Poland

1(Discovered by Herman Traube 885)

Taiwan;

Japan;

U.S.S.R. (near Lake Baikal, green nephrite).