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ABOUT MAZZA JADE WORKS

       Mazza Jade Works is dedicated to bringing California's naturally occurring undersea Jade from the sea to you. The rugged Central California coastline is the only known area on earth where naturally occurring veins of jade intersect with the ocean. Natural erosion exposes veins of Jade that have been hidden beneath the surface of the earth for hundreds of thousands of years. From time to time, small pieces will break off underwater during big winter storms, eventually becoming tumbled and polished by constant wave action. ​

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        Much of the Jade offered by Mazza Jade Works is hand harvested from the bottom of the ocean by either scuba or freediving. At times, hours go by in the freezing cold, rough, murky waters without finding one small piece of good quality jade. However, the beauty of these underwater landscapes and the marine life that accompanies them goes unparalleled. Other Jades offered by Mazza Jade Works are acquired from sustainable sources from around the world.

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        Because of its chemical structure, nephrite jade is known as the toughest natural substance on earth (not to be confused with 'hardest'), making carving it a very intensive, difficult, and patience oriented endeavor. Jade has been embraced by many cultures around the world for thousands of years, noted for its protective and healing properties.​

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The Harvest

Underwater jade deposits can be found off Central Califronia's rugged Big Sur Coastline. The few areas here where jade is found are very exposed and rarely calm enough to dive. These often murky, sharky waters range from 46-56 degrees and require a 7-9mm dive suit to avoid hypothermia. Dive days include long surface swims and multiple trips up and down the vertical 150ft cliff carrying up to 100lbs of gear (Scuba tanks, BCD, weight belt, crowbars, lights, bags, etc...).

The Stone

Jade is most often chiseled and mined out of mountainous regions throughout the world, causing the stone to have a rough and rugged appearance until cut and carved. However, since Big Sur Jade is found in the ocean, it has become naturally 'sculpted' over hundreds of thousands of years of wave and swell action. In return, ocean polished Big Sur Jade specimens are highly sought after and known as some of the most naturally beautiful jade in the world.

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Processing

Learning to read each stone is difficult, and unfortunately very little Big Sur Jade is high quality enough to carve or make jewelry. Only the best of the best can be cut and carved into intricate and beautiful designs. Reading the grain, cutting out and working around fractures, minding your directional rotations and RPMs, and understanding how each stone will take a polish is all part of the process. 

Carving

Jade carving is an ancient practice that requires extreme patience and attention to detail. Even in this day and age, much of the tradition remains passed down through oral instruction and hands-on teaching. Jade, known as 'God's Stone' is one of the most difficult yet prized carving stones in the world. Often times even the smallest palm-sized carvings will take dozens of hours of work and years of knowledge and expertise to complete.

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© 2025 by Marco Mazza

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