Big Sur Jade is a high-quality nephrite variety known for its exceptional polish and diverse color range, including rare blue-green hues. It is typically found as water-worn boulders and pebbles along the coastline of Monterey County, California, making it a prized find for beachcombers and lapidaries.
Is this big sur jade?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch big sur jade with a known reference. Big Sur Jade sits at Mohs 6-6.5, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Big Sur Jade leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Big Sur Jade typically shows a waxy luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: green, blue-green, olive, black, white.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: monoclinic. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Big Sur Jade vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside big sur jade
Minerals reported to co-occur with big sur jade. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂(Mg,Fe)₅Si₈O₂₂(OH)₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 2.9-3.0 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Waxy
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Lapidary, Collector, Decorative
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Serpentinite Complexes
- Typical price
- $10-100 per pound of raw material, variable for finished specimens
Where rockhounds find big sur jade
Classic worldwide localities
- Big Sur
- Monterey County
- California
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic serpentinite complexes country, the host setting where big sur jade typically forms. If you start seeing serpentine, actinolite, chlorite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
Common questions
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Find big sur jade on the map
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