Kotzebue, Alaska
Kobuk Valley Jade Company was started in 1968, by Ray and Marie Heinrichs, in Kotzebue, Alaska, which is located thirty miles above the Arctic Circle. Jade boulders were purchased from an Alaskan man who had a claim in the Jade Mountains, in the Kobuk Valley, and they were then brought to Kotzebue, by barge, where the owners had set up lapidary saws to cut the boulders into slabs for sale to tourists. The Jade Mountains region runs along the eastern border of Kobuk Valley National Park. They stand between Onion Portage within the park and the village of Ambler, located outside of the park boundaries. Tourists were just starting to visit the Arctic region in the late 1960’s. Over the years, the demand for jewelry, and other small items, increased as people wanted to take souvenirs home to their loved ones. Kobuk Valley Jade Company started selling jewelry items as well as unique items made of jade such as bookends and coasters. The store included a workshop for customers to view the boulders being cut and polished. It was a pleasure to share information about jade and Alaska with visitors arriving in Kotzebue during this time on both Wien Air Alaska and Alaska Airlines. Locals and tourists alike came into the store to enjoy a cup of free coffee!
Girdwood, Alaska:
Kobuk Valley Jade Company moved from Kotzebue to Girdwood, Alaska in the mid 1970’s where it was located until July of 2021. During these decades, customers enjoyed shopping for jade items as well as Alaskan made Native crafts. Tourists from all over the world visited by cruise ship, bus, planes, and motorhomes during the summer seasons, as well as winter visitors traveling by air and enjoyed purchasing Alaskan souvenirs to take home to family and friends. Locals and visitors both would often take a day trip from Anchorage to Girdwood to visit the “Jade Shop” and see the latest creations and enjoy the free cup of coffee while talking with Ray and Marie about their experiences living in Alaska who also enjoyed sharing their opinions about current events! Ray and Marie, now both deceased, left their legacy with their daughter, Kelly, and her husband, Bob, who continued operating the store, in a scaled down version, in Girdwood, with the help of a long time employee and talented manufacturer who specialized in custom work, until Kelly and Bob made the decision to sell the Girdwood property and move the business to the Kenai Peninsula.
Soldotna, Alaska
In the Fall of 2021, Kobuk Valley Jade Company moved their operation to the Kenai Peninsula and are now located at 41735 Sterling Highway—at Mile 91.5 of the Sterling Highway. On May 27, 2022, the 5,200 square foot building, with 3,000 sq. ft of retail space and 2, 200 sq. ft of manufacturing area, was opened for business. The building is surrounded by numerous jade boulders outside, brought from the former Girdwood location, that were originally sourced from the Kobuk Valley. The local Alaskan employees, along with the daughter of the original owners, Kelly Arnold, and her husband, Bob, have been grateful for the warm welcome they have received from the local community. The larger retail space has allowed us to expand our jade manufacturing and add distinctive gift items that will appeal to both visitors and locals alike year-round. We continue to sell our certified “Made in Alaska” jade products, unique functional household items, office gifts and jewelry pieces. We also carry T-Shirts, fun earrings by a variety of artists, paper goods, ceramics, toys, knives, hats, books, and unique Alaskan estate pieces. Custom orders are our specialty, and we welcome you coming in to talk with our Manufacturing Manager, or one of his team, who can assist you in designing the piece you are envisioning. We have the perfect gift for that “person who has everything” and can assist you in finding a home décor gift for any occasion. Kobuk Valley Jade Company is proud to be members of both the Soldotna and Kenai Chamber of Commerce.
Audio, Lighting & Automation:
A hidden gem to be discovered……Check out AUDIO, LIGHTING & AUTOMATION, a business located inside Kobuk Valley Jade Company! The company offers a diversified variety of high value speakers, audio equipment and cabling. If you are a serious audiophile or just someone who enjoys good music to tune up your life, ask for Bob who can show you GoldenEar Speakers or audioquest cables to enhance your listening pleasure. Bob can assist you in creating a new system or improving your current one affordably.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT JADE
Jade is Alaska’s state gemstone. Kobuk Valley Jade Company uses lubricated diamond-tipped saws for cutting the jade and diamond-infused grit for polishing purposes. Differing qualities of jade can be determined by its fracturing, inclusions and clarity which can be seen whether in slabs or drilled to show its patterns and colors. Jade can be cut into thin slices to show the jade’s natural beauty and translucent character in the form of lighting fixture lenses, candle shades and stained-glass window hangings. Kobuk Valley Jade Company also makes jade cutlery which can make a special wedding gift. Employees at the “Jade Shop” are continually creating new and elegant gift items on site at their Soldotna store location.
Jade is one gemstone with a long history from coast to coast and continent to continent. Though its history is most noted by the Chinese, jade has played a major role in many other cultures. You can find jade in the cultures in North to South America, New Zealand, Europe, British Columbia, Canada, and Russia. Alaska is proud to have the Jade Mountains, in the Kobuk Valley region of Alaska, where the jade from Kobuk Valley Jade Company originated.
The mysteries of jade are ancient and many who treasure it love its unique qualities and sometimes call it the “Stone of Heaven.” Jade is thought to bring good luck and to have healing properties. Part of the distinct characteristics of jade is in its soft, glossy appearance, luster, unusual colors, and extreme toughness. While there are various colors of jade throughout the world, Alaska’s Nephrite jade tends to be dark green in color with dark inclusions in it. Nephrite Alaskan jade is fibrous in structure; different from Jadeite, typically found in China, which is crystalline in structure. On the Mohs Scale of Hardness, Nephrite jade scores at 6.5-7, near Sapphire, with the hardest gemstone, Diamond, being 10. Nephrite jade is very tough due to its dense structure. Each boulder of jade is unique in color and the inclusions and patterns add distinctive character to each piece. Our Manufacturing Team is skilled at looking at each boulder and determining which products can be made best by utilizing the jade’s natural beauty and characteristic features.
As a result of jade’s toughness, it was used as one of man’s first tools. Axes, knives, and weapons were created with it. Today we make ulus from jade at Kobuk Valley Jade Company. Local artists also purchase our jade to make stunning knives and cutlery handles. Over the years jade was not only valued for tools but also as an ornamental stone. In early Chinese history, jade was designated only for the royal family and highest-ranking religious leaders and dignitaries.
Jade is valued for its gorgeous color and polished pieces can be polished with a matte/satin finish or to a high gloss. While polished jade is cold, smooth, and soothing to touch, jade can also absorb heat when displayed in the sunlight and can be comforting to hold as well. Jade works great as a tabletop, countertop, serving plate or trivet as it tolerates heat or cold temperatures easily.
While the color of the jade is an important factor for determining its value, attention is also paid to the jade’s translucency, texture, and pattern. At Kobuk Valley Jade Company, pieces are created using the best features of the natural rind or fractured edge, of the boulder and the shape of a boulder to help guide what is made that takes advantage of the jade’s natural essence.
ALASKA’S PREMIERE JADE MANUFACTURER
“MADE IN ALASKA” CERTIFIED
Kobuk Valley Jade Company is proud to have a Master Manufacturer on site who has worked with our company for over a decade. He is mentoring our team of local employees, hired from the Sterling and Soldotna area, to learn to cut and polish jade home décor products and jewelry. We are excited to enjoy the certification from the State of Alaska that our jade products are made with Alaskan jade right on site!
