An inside look at our solar-powered workshop : )

http://www.californiajadebook.com/

Don Dupras' highly informative book on California Jade marvelously documents jade's origins, composition, and long journey from the ocean floor into our hands. Clear, concise, and a pleasure to read, with many beautiful photographs of jade specimens and a large pull-out map for jade hunters.

www.californiajadebook.com

Wishing you the very best of holiday seasons!

https://www.youtube.com/user/caljadenetwork

Videos from the world of California Jade  .https://www.youtube.com/user/caljadenetwork

Please do visit our main site!  www.californiajade.com

Here she is now completely shaped and at 100 diamond grit. There is a chatoyant band near the bottom of the picture that will hopefully polish brilliantly.

This weekend the weather was beautiful and we are back polishing jade. This will be a very nice piece! It will be finished in a couple of weeks. Stop by before we close for the winter season.

The new silversmith is great. Simple elegant silver designs crafted right here in Northern California with some of the very best River Blossom Jade cabs I've ever cut. I took a couple of dozen pics trying to capture the beauty of this group. I guess you will just need to stop by the Rock Stop to see the real beauty for yourself.

Our just polished two ton Onyx lunch table out in front of the Rock Stop....Visiting Artist Al pictured with his work of Art.

Here is a close-up of the first side polished to 3000 diamond grit. It was a real bear to turn this one over to begin polishing the second side.

 This stand-up one ton Onyx obelisk is 6 foot tall and will be polished on all 4 sides when we are finished with it....Every now and then we take a break from polishing jade and find a different beautiful stone that captivates us enough to give it a glassy polish.

Here is an 800 pound Onyx bench or coffee table ready to go. $800 See it at the Rock stop..

Here it is! A ton and a half of local fuchsite. This beauty was discovered right here in the neighborhood. It is a green and gold sparkly delight with wonderful Metaphysical properties.
Come by the Rock stop and give her a hug!

I wrote this a few years back on my first Word Press blog, but it is still pertinent today so I thought I'd re-post it here. These are the terms I use to describe jade. They are defined clearly here to eliminate confusion.

 

California Jade grading system

August 7, 2009

California Jade Grading System for Nephrite and Jadeite by Sam Gitchel

A uniform system for grading of jades found in California is desperately needed. There is no clarity for description of quality or color and no uniform terms used. I will begin to use the following Grading system and terms to describe California jade quality and have developed a related per pound price structure for rough jades.


Grading System for California Jade rough and Jewelry
.
AAAA grade = natural top color translucent or chatoyant
AAA grade = natural top color opaque or excellent color translucent
AA grade = natural excellent color opaque or good color translucent
A grade = natural good color opaque or plain color translucent
A- grade = natural plain color opaque or slightly translucent
B grade = color enhanced


Definition of colors
Top color: The rarest color in the deposit. Vibrant colors. No dark inclusions.
Excellent color: Top color or a little less but with dark portions.
Good color: A mix of subdued light and dark colors .
Plain color: Dull or drab colors.
Color enhanced: Man made color, dyed

Pricing structure for California Jade cutting rough
AAAA $100lb-$200lb
AAA $50lb-$100lb
AA $10lb-$50lb
A $3lb-$10lb
A- $1lb-$3lb
These prices are for rough with minor fracturing only. Extensive fracturing reduces the price.


Jade availability in California
AAAA grade comprises about one thousandth of one percent of all jades found in California.
AAA grade comprises about one tenth of one percent of all jades found in California.
AA grade comprises about one percent of all jades found in California
A grade comprises about ten percent of all jades found in California
A- grade is the vast majority of all jades found in California
This grading/pricing system does not apply to Specimen pieces, Scholar stones, Viewing stones, Suiseki etc

We have been busy making pendants and now have a huge selection at the Rock Stop. Go to www.RockStop.com for info re: our store

The Big Sur Jade Festival: dramatic coastline, stunning views amid the wondrous setting of California's Franciscan Complex as it meets the sea.  The edge of the continent and a prime area for jade hunting & celebration.  Music, food, free admission.  http://www.bigsurjadefest.com/

background photo courtesy of Don Dupras

As promised here are pics of new window polished California Jade stones, polished right here in Mendocino county.



A massive river worn California Botryoidal Jade with a polished window. Beautiful material!!

A real beauty of a piece of jade. In the words of Don Dupras...."You guys sure ripped the hide off that one". The inner beauty is revealed!

We call this one "I LOVE MENDOCINO" A totally natural shaped Jade Heart. We polished the surface to enhance the beauty. What a find from the Eel River....

A very nice Bully of a boulder. This one was real heavy but had a gorgeous interior when we polished the big window to show off the colors and patterns.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the gemmy interior of this baby! There was zero exterior sign of the hidden quality jade that lies within. A real Gem...

Hey everyone, my pal Eric Kaplan (artist extraordinaire) redesigned the blogspot. What do you think?

Hot yesterday at the Rock Stop but wet polishing a large highly figured jade is one way to keep cool.

We are beginning to produce our custom line of window polished California Jade boulders from many different California locations. Will be posting pictures of our progress very soon. The stone in the photo is now on the way to a Montana Gallery for a large viewing stone show.

Here is a quick pic I took of the finished jade just before Peter Mullins picked it up personally, to go to his show in Montana. The picture doesn't really do the jade justice...But you can get the general feel of the piece.
We didn't do much finish work to it except for a light smoothing through the center. The shape is 100% natural except for the cut flat bottom. Jerry Braswell made the perfect base (diaza).

Jasper haul

For a price, we got permission to collect Jaspers on a private ranch off Hwy 5. It was hot but the collecting was easy and the stones are all colorful and shapely. You can see them in the Rock yard at the Rock Stop when I get some help moving them over. I took this picture with the stones wet to show the intense color saturation of these beauties.

June jade hunt

We hit the mountains in Northern California early this month for our usual jade search in Mendocino county. The extreme drought has taken it's toll on the jade supply available for discovery. Water courses are barely flowing and not much new jade has exposed for the past few years. What has been brought out are beautiful small pebbles like this one found in a few inches of water. It was still a great time and we will return but may wait for a massive winter of storms before we do.