Telling Alaska’s Story: An Anchorage man is turning boulders into beautiful jade

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – When Albert Whitehead relocated right into his midtown Anchorage house in 2002, there were a couple of uncommon points that included your home. One was the capability to maintain a family pet reindeer called Celebrity on his residential or commercial property, and also the various other was an array of big jade rocks ideal outside his door.

“There’s 40,000 extra pounds of jade in my front backyard,” Whitehead stated.

Whitehead isn’t certain precisely where the rocks originated from, yet he has a great suggestion. His residence was previously had by Ivan and also Oro Stewart — friends of his that began the custom of maintaining a family pet reindeer called Celebrity — and also that likewise had Stewart’s Picture Store on 4th Opportunity. Whitehead stated Ivan Stewart got on a photoshoot in Kotzebue the very early 1960s when he read about a close-by jade mine that was available.

“Well the Stewarts have actually constantly wanted rocks, they were type of rock dogs considering that they were youngsters,” Whitehead stated. “So Ivan returned, talked with Oro concerning this wonderful suggestion of possessing a jade mine north of the Polar circle and also she acquired in.”

Stewart functioned summer seasons in the mine near Kobuk, sending out jade back to Anchorage to be reduced and also refined. Whitehead thinks that’s just how several of the rocks landed in his front backyard. For two decades he looked at them, questioning just how much worth they contributed to his house. Regarding 2 years earlier, a building assessor established him directly.

“(There’s) 40,000 extra pounds of jade in my front backyard, which are quite rocks, worth absolutely no,” Whitehead stated.

Whitehead reached considering the countless extra pounds of jade on the residential or commercial property and also just how to utilize it. He stated that raw, reduced jade is costing $50 an extra pound, making it noticeable to him what he required to do. He after that encouraged a good friend with a front-end loader to transfer a rock or 2 in his garage.

After that he reanimated Ivan Stewart’s initial rock saw, an 8-foot ruby toothed blade that can puncture the challenging jade at a price of concerning an inch a hr. He bought added tools and also reached function.

Currently, Whitehead is making jade bookends, marketing jade to jewelry experts, and also brightening big pieces of the rock that will certainly come to be the tops for one-of-a-kind Alaskan coffee tables.

Whitehead states it takes hrs of job to end up a sleek item of jade, yet it’s worth it. For one, it’s profitable. He offers his developments to regional stores where the bookends retail for a number of hundred bucks, and also the tables can bring $3,000.

Whitehead stated it isn’t everything about the cash. For one, he desired the rocks out of his backyard and also he truly wished to see what’s within. Currently, with every production that’s offered, he seems like he’s sharing a piece of Alaska’s background too.

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