Mining
The Rush For Jade in British Columbia
The Rush For Jade in British Columbia
Infographic presented by Electra Stone
Many years ago, jade used to travel to China along the Silk Road. Today, more and more jade is being shipped across the Pacific Ocean from British Columbia.
China is the epicenter of jade demand and culture, and today’s infographic shows how jade is formed, the rush for BC jade, and how jade gets from the boulder to the market.
How Jade is Formed
Finding high-quality jade is extremely difficult, which is part of the reason it is so valuable. Jade is created in areas of the world that have subduction zones, such as around the Ring of Fire.
Subduction occurs when two tectonic plates collide and one is forced under the other. The elements are carried deep into the earth, where immense heat and pressure creates the necessary conditions for the formation of jade. This process takes 60 million years.
Most of the world’s jade forms in areas with this kind of intense geological activity. Xinjiang, home to China’s most important nephrite jade deposits, his near where the Indian plate is colliding with the Eurasian plate.
In British Columbia, the conditions are similar, and jade can now be found throughout Canada’s westernmost province. Specifically, there are three areas where today jade is mined: Dease Lake, Mount Ogden, and Cassiar.
The Jade Market
The global market for jade is dominated by Myanmar (formerly Burma) where the majority of jadeite is produced. The size of the reported jade market is largely dependent on data from Myanmar. Before conflict and mine shutdowns resumed in the country in 2011, jade sales were estimated to be $3.5 billion per year.
These shutdowns led to a supply gap in jade, and that is where British Columbia comes in: the production of BC jade has increased from 1.7% to 8.3% from 2011 to 2014.
A 2013 Harvard report put out a more in-depth assessment of the global jade market, and estimated it to be $8 billion.
The BC Jade Market is Booming
Demand for the most desired jade, which comes in an emperor green colour, has put significant price pressure on BC jade. Production of BC jade has doubled, and prices for gem quality jade have jumped to $200-$1,000 per kg.
From Source to Market
BC jade can be found in hard rock deposits or in alluvial boulders that have been moved by glaciers over time.
“New mine jade” refers to jade found in hard rock deposits. This is typically more weathered and more susceptible to cracking.
“Old mine jade” is jade that has been dragged by glaciers in boulder form. Only the best boulders survive, and typically these are of high quality.
Jade is similar to gold in that it can be found in a pure form in nuggets in streams and rivers. Often, the most ambitious Chinese buyers may fly in via helicopter to the northern jade sites to buy jade “off the bucket” in cash. This ensures the best quality jade and miners also benefit.
The jade then typically makes its way to a hub like Vancouver to get shipped overseas to China. China is by far the world’s largest market for jade, where it is considered a hard asset and a symbol of wealth, purity, and spirituality. China is also home to the most brilliant jade craftspeople in the world.
Finally, after sometimes years of intricate carving, the jade is sold in major retail centers like Hong Kong or Beijing. Once a finished product, the jade can sell for up to 10x its original price, creating wealth throughout the value chain.
As an example: the Polar Pride Boulder was carved into a massive Buddha and sold for $1 million in 2004.
Copper
Brass Rods: The Secure Choice
This graphic shows why brass rods are the secure choice for precision-machined and forged parts.
Brass Rods: The Secure Choice
The unique combination of machinability and recyclability makes brass rods the secure choice for manufacturers seeking future-proof raw material solutions.
This infographic, from the Copper Development Association, shows three ways brass rods give manufacturers greater control and a license to grow in the competitive market for precision-machined and forged products.
Future-Proof Investments in New Machine Tools
A material’s machinability directly impacts machine throughput, which typically has the largest impact on machine shop profitability.
The high-speed machining capabilities of brass rods maximize machine tool performance, allowing manufacturers to run the material faster and longer without sacrificing tool life, chip formation, or surface quality.
The high machining efficiency of brass leads to reduced per-part costs, quicker return on investment (ROI) for new machine tools, and expanded production capacity for new projects.
Supply Security Through Closed Loop Recycling
Brass, like its parent element copper, can be infinitely recycled.
In 2022, brass- and wire-rod mills accounted for the majority of the 830,000 tonnes of copper recycled from scrap in the United States.
Given that scrap ratios for machined parts typically range from 60-70% by weight, producing mills benefit from a secure and steady supply of clean scrap returned directly from customers, which is recycled to create new brass rods.
The high residual value of brass scrap creates a strong recycling incentive. Scrap buy back programs give manufacturers greater control over raw material net costs as scrap value is often factored into supplier purchase agreements.
Next Generation Alloys for a Lead-Free Future
Increasingly stringent global regulations continue to pressure manufacturers to minimize the use of materials containing trace amounts of lead and other harmful impurities.
The latest generation of brass-rod alloys is engineered to meet the most demanding criteria for lead leaching in drinking water and other sensitive applications.
Seven brass-rod alloys passed rigorous testing to become the only ‘Acceptable Materials’ against lower lead leaching criteria recently adopted in the national U.S. drinking water quality standard, NSF 61.
Learn more about the advantages of brass rods solutions.
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