Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
fishaholic5 wrote:
Who would be the best Jadeite Expert to contact and send samples to ? I am happy to be proven wrong
Cheers Wal
I'm sure there are qualified labs in Oz but you'll need to research that yourself. From my U.S. point of view I'd contact Christopher Smith and his crew at the American Gemological Laboratories http://aglgemlab.com/contact/
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:54 am Posts: 12 Location: Far North QLD
Thank's, It's been mentioned to me that the American Museum of natural history also has a Jade Expert I've copped the "It doesn't Exist in Australia" line followed closely by "where exactly did you find it?" so much here I'd rather send it elsewhere for analysis
Be sure and let us know what the lab says ... as far as I knew Australia produces the finest black nephrite Jade in the world didn't know they had jadiete
George
_________________ A Chinese proverb says "Gold is valuable, Jade is Priceless."
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
fishaholic5 wrote:
It's been mentioned to me that the American Museum of natural history also has a Jade Expert Wal
Yes, jade expert Dr. George E. Harlow is Curator in the Museum's Division of Physical Sciences. He certainly knows his jade and his interest might be piqued by your discoveries. However be warned that being a geologist he'll probably want to exactly where and under what geological conditions you found your specimens.
Hey friends, a source of jade, not yet mentioned, is New Zealand. The west Coast of the south Island, has a very large jade occurence, formed during the uplift of the southern Alps. The boulders, sometimes many weighing many tons, cascade down the river systems, and eventually into the sea. It is possible to go beach fossicking after a big storm, and find exquisite pieces of "float" jade, washed up on the black sand beaches. The Maori people valued jade highly, and made the ultimate close quarters weapon, the Mere (pronounced Mare-eh), or killing club, from it. During the mid 1800's, when the big gold rushes were on, the incoming Chinese miners recognised it for what it was, and purchased every piece they could from the european miners, who often had huge boulders of jade crash down into their sluice boxes, as they washed the mountainsides down. They would pile up these very heavy boulders, and the Chinese had ready stockpiles to buy. Chinese ships returned home with jade as ballast. There are many colours, and each one has a Maori name. Kokopu, is the speckled mountain trout, a native fish in these waters. Kokopu jade is very pale, sometimes white or cream, and is often speckled, just like its namesake. Inanga is a small freshwater native fish, and is known as the "Whitebait" when it matures. It is a pale,pearly white, and justly describes the jade named after it. The New Zealand government prohibits the export of rough jade now, but there are places where you can have a set of "bookends" cut and one face polished, which keeps customs happy. Way back in my past, I spent 6months living there, and learning to carve the stuff, and handled pieces that the local Maori called "mutton fat" jade. I guess they learned the term from the chinese, all those years ago. If you simply search" N.Z Jade", you will find a large resource of information. Barry.
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2006 1:20 am Posts: 2756 Location: Southern California, U.S.A.
Very interesting Barry. A story about Maori nephrite carvings told by Fred Ward might be of interest. In his Gem Book "Jade" he mentions that a particular type of human figure carved by the Maori, the hei-tiki, became very popular with NZ tourists in the late 1800s. But by that time the Maori had mostly given up carving jade for other pursuits and very few were available.
From 1896 to 1914 several families in the German gem center of Idar-Oberstein carved and sold more than a million NZ jade hei-tikis to tourists and others, a far greater number than all the Maori hei-tiki carvings ever done. The Germans were amused when, later on, they saw their own work showing up in museums as original Maori carvings.
It would be interesting if the "mystery" New Guinea jadeite mentioned in this article has some relationship to potential jadeite finds in Australia: http://www.amnh.org/science/papers/jade_2012.php
Maybe Wal holds the long-sought key to the riddle.
Hey Rick, I enjoyed reading that link, I was not aware of the tiki's being carved in germany. When I was learning to carve though, I was told that in the early 1900's the Germans purchased large boulders, and some of it was cut and used as line bearings on submarine drive shafts. Regards, Barry
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:54 am Posts: 12 Location: Far North QLD
I'm not sure i have the answers to any riddles Rick, but I do have a lot of questions. I'm hoping to obtain some more Green samples over the weekend, will let you know what happens and I will be in contact with the Lab's and Museum soon. I could be right, I could also be very wrong
Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 1:19 am Posts: 370 Location: Pakistan
George Sharen wrote:
Thanks mrb
looking forward to hearing what you can find. Still collecting jade from around the world and this stuff does interest me.
George (Formerly wolf)
Hello , I have checked through namak mandi dealers and Lahore markets , this mtrl is not known here , either the source dried long ago or it was never worked. Best reference I could find was this reporthttp://www.minersoc.org/pages/Arc ... 60-385.pdf
Have you seen this stuff in the markets somewhere , pls let me know.
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:12 am Posts: 484 Location: Chiang Rai Thailand
George Sharen wrote:
hi mitch: I love "moss in snow" Jade. Unfortunately the only source of it I've found is of Burmese origin and cannot be imported into Canada. Crying shame really I don't think I'd have any problem selling it. Lee Little has it from time to time in "marble sized pieces".
jleb: ya I seen some fantastic pieces at the ROM (Royal Ontario Mueseum ) in Toronto. Stared at them for a long time last time I was there.
ROM: Ya its a crying shame that we cannot import from Burma, but what you gonna do?
Hi George, Just for your information, I have been buying all the best moss in snow that I see and am having it cabbed with the moss in the middle of the snow. I am in anticipation of the lift on the ban. Stay tuned, Lee
I love jade! Jadeite and nephrite both. But there is so much fake stuff now that I am afraid to buy anything, even roughs, and some are very convincing. Like this unpolished carving, even experienced buyers who see it think it is A grade, but equipment analysis showed it to be B+C.
Attachments:
105934wnv6gpslvztt75gv.jpg [ 36.74 KiB | Viewed 3481 times ]
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:54 am Posts: 12 Location: Far North QLD
I've been a little slow getting samples sent away due to moving house, but have found some more new locations. If I'm right Maw Sit Sit is also found in Australia
Attachment:
P5202139 (2).jpg [ 91.42 KiB | Viewed 3456 times ]
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 11:12 am Posts: 484 Location: Chiang Rai Thailand
Really??? MSS also in Australia??? I strongly doubt this from what I have heard about this rock, anybody have any examples or evidence? Does it contain high Chromium Jadeite?? Thanks, Lee
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:54 am Posts: 12 Location: Far North QLD
Much of far north QLD is currently under Mineral exploration, many of the areas have only really been looked at for gold in the past. This is as close to a pure white as I have in my collection so far
Attachment:
P5252187 (2).jpg [ 99.28 KiB | Viewed 3415 times ]
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum