Nephrite

specimen number:
2292476

location:
Jade Cove, Monterey Co., California, USA

description:
Attractive green nodular example of nephrite, the material commonly referred to as Jade.

Jade Cove, located along the rugged Big Sur coast of Monterey County, California, is famous for containing the only known concentrated underwater deposit of gem-quality nephrite jade in the world. Historically, the cove gained widespread attention during the mid-twentieth century when lapidary enthusiasts, skin divers, and sculptors discovered large boulders of nephrite resting offshore, sparking a regional jade-hunting movement. Geologically, the area is defined by complex Franciscan Complex tectonic assemblages where serpentinite bodies and sheared meta-greywacke formations meet. The nephrite jade itself formed through metasomatic alteration and hydrothermal fluid activity along the contacts between serpentinite and silica-rich rock units, creating tough, dense, microcrystalline amphibole minerals that were subsequently weathered, shaped, and deposited by wave action along the rocky Pacific shore and underwater shelves.

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