| jay bates |
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| #1 |
I have been taking a closer look at some of the jades I have after getting a bit interested recently. Most of my jades are from California. I have personally collected quite a number of jades from Covelo and Clear Creek. I have looked around Wyoming without much luck. Most of my jades were purchased and I have had a difficult time identifying them and their location. I have found the following site helpful:
http://www.timelessjade.com/2009/03/03/jades-from-other-perspectives/
Northern California seems to be the center of the universe for jades,jade collectors and carvers these days. There is a major annual jade Festival in Monterey California every year. A number of quality jade rough pieces from Wyoming and Canada were bought out before they could even be unloaded to be sold at the festival this year. 
Anyway if anyone is interested in a historically rich and complex area of rock collecting and lapidary, jade may be your cup of tea. Green tea, that is, or black, or any color. |
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| Carol Poole |
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| #2 |
HUH,
Now I'm more confused, I thought that nephrite was not jade....?????
Carol Poole |
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| jay bates |
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| #3 |
Carol, Nephrite and jadeite are both called jade. Jadeite is usually the more valuable of the two and is rarer. |
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| Joe D. |
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| #4 |
Jay,
The only Jade I ever collected and can remember where I got it was from Gold Beach in Oregon. I got sand blasted that day while trying my luck at collecting Agate from where the "Rogue" comes into the Pacific ocean down the beach at "Gold". The wind was blowing about 50 miles an hour and uncovered lots of nice rocks.
I used to teach children how to collect money on the beach when it was windy. The wind blows the sand away from the lost coins and they stick up like flags in the sand and are easy to find. The wind can either cover all the rocks up or expose them, depending on which way it's blowing.
I did pick up a few pieces in Wyoming, around an old oil derrick, but I don't remember where it was. I was driving around and picking up some nice Chalcedony and not paying attention to where I was. I like to wonder around and always find my way back again to civilization without any problem.
Joe D. |
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| jay bates |
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| #5 |
I may have found a jade rock in Wyoming, but I am not sure. I will probably have to do a specific gravity test on it narrow down the possibilities.
One of the devilish things about jade is trying to determine whether it is jade or not, this is more of a problem with nephrite. When we are talking about Wyoming jade we are talking about nephrite. There is some Wyoming thulite that is sometimes mistaken and sold as nephrite jade. Also I think that the thulite can sometimes be found mixed in with the jade in the same rock. One jade expert I talked to, does not accept any pink and green jade from Wyoming as being jade because thulite is sometime sold as Wyoming pink and green jade. It is a controversial subject to say the least.
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| Mark Hornback |
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| #6 |
I have seen good pieces of Jade from Buffalo Mt. in Summit County Colorado. I was told it comes from the north face just below timberline. There are bears and big cats out there so caution would be advised for anyone pooking around. |
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| Don Peck |
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| #7 |
I had the good fortune to listen to Alfredo Petrov speak on jade one evening a few months ago. Since my memory isn't what it used to be, I may be misquoting him. If I remember correctly, he said that the only places where jadite have been found are Burma (where all the Chinese jade comes from), Honduras (recently rediscovered from Mayan times), a single ledge in Japan (recently rediscovered from ancient times), and a few small spots in California. The rest is nephrite. |
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| jay bates |
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| #8 |
Don I think you are right, except Clear Creek California has quite a bit of jadeite, albeit not good quality jadeite. Better quality jadeite is sometimes found in a few small spots in California. Nephrite is found in many locations in California including Clear Creek. Nephrite is also found in Alaska, Nevada near the California border, and in some of the Washington creeks and maybe on the Oregon beaches. Some of the best nephrites are found in Wyoming, but are difficult to find since people have been hunting there for nearly sixty years. I have pretty much ruled out the rock I found in Wyoming as being nephrite, although it sure looks like nephrite. |
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