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 — that is 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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