JadeDiver

Hi, I'm the Jade Diver. Well, there are actually more of us out there but I am one of the few who makes jewerly from what I find. I take pride in searching for my Jade by breath-hold (Freediving-snorkeling) only. All this is done in the Big Sur Coastline where it is the only known place where Jade can be found in the ocean.

I specialize in beads (large beads as pendants) and bangles, but also make other pendants and earrings. I have made massage stones, viewing stones, display specimens and other customized work. I also enjoy working with other materials and some of my favorites are Grossular Garnet, Idocrase, gem grade Serpentine, Jasper and Abalone.

A note on Beads and Bangles. My beads and bangles are all hand made and produced by me and not machines.

Beads: Most beads on the market are made by machine. These are perfect rounds. My beads will always be off round on purpose so you will know I have hand made them. Perfect round beads are always made by machine. Most bead machines are limited to size of about 6mm but China has bead mills that can go as small as 3mm. These beads are mass produced and then sorted for quality and matching. Here's an example from China.
http://cherrytreebeads.com/wordpress/?p=14

Bangles: Most bangles and beads made are coming out of China or India. Bangles are usually made with numbers in mind. How many bangles can be made out of a piece of jade? When produced like this, the grain direction is not taken in consideration which increases the failure rate and breakage. This only applies to nephrite jade bangles. I consciously make my bangles with the grain direction running the length of the bangle and not cross. I produce less bangles per same stone as what is produced out of China but my quality is much better and more reliable.

I hope you enjoy my site and my work. Thanks for visiting!