The Jade Man

Capay Valley is about an hour from where I am. It's an absolutely beautiful Valley, with organic farms, wine, Cache Creek Casino, a great diner called 'The Roadtrip' and now an annual trip for me to buy jade from The Jade Man, Mike!

I was guided to the house first, where they had a beautiful display of jewelry and jade specimens.

But I was interested in rough and slabs. So I headed down the hill, past a couple of vintage white buses, to where the rough was. First thing that catches my attention are a couple of huge boulders of jade!

I was quickly supplied with my own spray bottle, and a bin. Then the real fun began! There were 6 six foot tables piled high with rough, and a few bins of slabs. There were a couple of crates, and even more jade off to the side. 

Hours passed all too quickly! I had to get back, so I brought my modest bin over to Mike, who went over the contents, and he told me where each piece came from (and labeled them as well) and complimented me on one particular chunk of Feather River Jade and he smiled and said he usually puts aside a piece like that for himself! It came to 10 pounds. Here is my very own little pile of jade!

And some close-ups.

Feather River Jade that Mike admired

Darker Feather River Jade

British Colombian Jade

I absolutely love jade, California jade in particular. Hopefully I'll find the time to get out to my workshop before the end of the school year and get the saws running again, now that the weather is warming up.