Siberian Jade

The Sayan Mountains near Lake Baikal, in central Siberia, is the primary source of Siberian nephrite jade, with secondary mining occurring along the Onot River, south of nearby Irkutsk. Although some of the finest quality nephrite jade is formed here, Siberia’s severe weather conditions and inconsistent production means the raw stone is only accessible for two to three months of the year at most. Although Siberian nephrite jade can be leek green with minute flecks of black iron, it also comes in shades of white, off-white or brown shades or chatoyant (cat’s eye jade). Our founder, John Sheehan Snr, considers the best quality Siberian nephrite jade to be pure white with a root beer coloured rind, or a very pale blue green.