A time in the past, which seems like an whole other lifetime ago, I found my first piece of jade on the coast of Big Sur, California. Now, years later, I am still as fascinated by this mystical stone as I was when I touched my first piece.
Big Sur jade is a variety of nephrite jade, which is the same stone which the Chinese have revered for thousands of years. This stone has some amazing qualities. Though it is one of the hardest to break stones in the world it can have translucent properties where you can actually see straight through it.
Another property of this type of nephrite is that it is porous and can take on a mineral content of the surrounding soils it can be found in. This is what makes the amazing “vulcan” jade, a type of jade which oxidizes from the surrounding iron content of the soil which shows up in the colors of red, orange and yellow. These colors are contained in a small layer around the stone, where you can often see the greens or blues of the jade beneath. The vulcanized areas of the jade can also have some chatoyancy, much like a tigers eye.
Big Sur also has another type of amazing jade, Pacific Blue. Though nephrite jade from this area can come in almost every color one in particular is the vivid blues of this unique specimen. Blue jade is rare and can often be costly.
Black jade also appears in this area which has a high graphite content (the mineral used in pencils) and when there is a high enough content in the piece it can appear black, though thin parts of the piece which are translucent will have a green glow.
Lastly, but definitely not least, is the every popular and unique bubble jade. Nodes or bubbles of jade form in a softer mineral, serpentine, and appear as bubble gum. The color is usually white but can vary.
The amazing thing about looking for Big Sur jade is that you can find this jade on the coastline, with dramatic views of the Santa Lucia mountain range looking over you. There is nothing like finding a perfect, sea polished gemstone on the beach.
Jade from Big Sur is among the highest quality nephrite found in the world and can range in price depending in the piece.
Big Sur jade jewelry can be found online, or you can always visit the beautiful Big Sur coast and look for a piece yourself, who knows, you might just find a flawless and priceless gemstone.
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