jade, jadeite, fei cui, Russia, Polar Urals, Khakassia, gems

Up until recently, gem-quality imperial jadeite was found only in Upper Burma. But starting in the early 1970's, jadeite was found at Itmurundy in Kazakhstan. A few years later, fine jadeite was found in the Polar Urals at Pusyerka, and in 1992, in Khakassia, about 100 km. outside of the capital of Abakan. This article is the first extensive description ever published in English on the Russian jadeite deposits and is based upon visits by Nickolai Kouznetsov to these deposits in the early 1990's and both authors' visit to the Polar Urals and Khakassia mines in August, 2000.