I thought that I should write a little info about Monterey Jade and Vulcan Jade since a very nice gentleman by the name of Bob contacted me a few weeks ago asking if I would be interested in a few pieces of this wonderful material.
 
Well I will start off with a little information regarding California’s Big Sur Jade or from what I am gathering it is also called Monterey Jade. If I am mistaken somebody please let me know so I can correct this information. Monterey Jade, or Nephrite is found 70 miles south of Monterey California at locations between Big Sur and Gorda.
 

Nephrite is quite similar to Oriental Jade and comes in many colors of light to dark green.
 
A very popular location to hunt for Monterey Jade is the Plaskett area where it is found in the coves below the steep cliffs. After it is freed from the immersed reefs of Serpentine, it is washed up by the action of the surf and deposited in pockets of gravel and boulders on the beaches.
 
Some jade is taken from the cliffs themselves, deposited there eons ago by the receding ocean.
 
Jade is extremely hard and must be carved with diamond or silicon carbide tools. Monterey Jade is Unique to this area.
 
Now about Vulcan Jade Bob was nice enough to send me a few specimens of Vulcan Jade as well. Man this stuff is awesome, not to mention how it becomes Vulcanized is very interesting as well. Enough of me rambling here is the information Bob sent about Vulcan Jade.
 
Vulcan Jade is an altered state of Monterey or Big Sur Nephrite Jade. It is found high in the cliffs about 200 feet above sea level where it was deposited eons ago by the receding ocean.
 
The red, brown and golden hues are the result of heat, pressure and especially chemical leeching.
 
The Jade Cove area near Pacific Valley is the only place where this rare and unique material is found. Now how cool is that. I have heard about Vulcan Jade before but never had actually seen it in person before Bob sent these two wonderful specimens.
 
Bob once again thanks for sharing some of your local Jade and it will be cherished for the rest of my life. I have always been a firm believer of what comes around goes around and today when Bobs package arrived I knew it is true.