Big Sur Jade

Big Sur Jade is a nephrite jade found along the southern Big Sur coast. Though the greener colors are most sought after, it is also found in colors ranging from creamy to black. Big Sur Jade is difficult to find, difficult to cut and difficult to polish.  The rough jade is not commercially traded in large quantities and is found either by combing the Beaches of Big Sur or by diving for it in the rough water. The Jade is discernible from more common serpentine more by the lustre of its ocean polish and its imperviousness to being scratched by a pocket knife. The color of the Jade is best captured by cutting it painstakingly thin. Because it is composed of areas of various hardnesses it doesn’t always take a perfect polish.  I am also working on pieces using Yukon Jade from Alaska. The Yukon Jade tends to be a brighter green and because it is mined rather than ocean tumbled it is more available in larger pieces.