Have you ever shopped around Chinatown for a piece of jewelry or trinket made from jade? It might surprise you that it comes from the beautiful Cassiar Mountains in northern British Columbia. Last year Vietnam was their biggest buyer of the green jadeite. The TV series, Jade Fever is in its sixth year and the (healthy) fever has since spread around the world but you can only become infected through your television every Monday on The Discovery channel.
Jade is a commercial term encompassing green, white, black or yellow-brown material that consists either of Na-rich pyroxene (jadeite) or prismatic to acicular amphiboles of the tremolite-actinolite series that form bundles that are randomly oriented and interlocked (nephrite).
The mining season for jade is 100 days long/short and at the time of speaking with Claudia Bunce (married to Robin Bunce) from the show, she and her husband were in quarantine (due to Covid-19) in Jade City. Luckily, she can escape to property outside of her home if she needs space. As we socially isolate ourselves inside our homes, it’s an opportune time to start watching shows you’ve been missing, such as Canadian made Jade Fever.
I was very grateful to speak with both Claudia Bunce from the show and producer Cheryl Binning about the hardships of mining this rock and the incredible work to capture it all.
HNM: “I know that your father had started prospecting for jade in the 1960’s. What is it about mining jade that made you want to continue in your dad’s footsteps?”
Claudia: “I think we all have something that calls us in this world. The jade called me, and my dad said the jade called him. My dad was a hustler and back in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s he was one of the cool young guys that never saw himself up in the mountains mining for jade, but there he was. It’s the stone that calls on you, it’s obviously called on our family; we’re in it 4 generations now, with my son and grandson, so it’s a family calling.”
HNM: “What is it about the Cassiar Mountains that makes it the ideal location for Jade?”
Claudia:“You know, it pops up in special parts of the world like Siberia, Alaska and the Cassiar Mountains. It’s just the way the world was formed 300 million years ago and here we are. There’s no rhyme or reason to it.”
Claudia continued to expand on the value of jade according to the country that’s buying it. “It’s different for every culture and is the toughest stone in the world. Thousands of years ago New Zealand used it for weaponry and fish hooks. The Chinese chose the most durable stone and it became the Buudha Stone because Buddha even talked about jade. They made it exemplary to popular gods, so then only emperors could own it. The use of it goes back ten’s of thousands of years. I believe the oldest vessel made from jade was found 12,000 years ago. It was a circle with a hole in it, so they could talk to the gods.”
HNM: “Did you learn the history of jade through your dad?”
Claudia: “About the mining yes but my family isn’t really into the scientific or historic part of it. We’ve sort of created our own reasons for being around it, having it in our store and living in the area where it’s created. We’ve created our own story around it. It’s the beauty of it that keeps bringing us back. You have treasure hunters looking for pirate treasure, gold or Inca buildings. For us, it’s the purest greenest natural jade that God created hundreds of millions of years ago. That’s what we’re looking for.”
HNM: “When I was watching an episode of the show, you had split a boulder apart to reveal the gorgeous green mirror like jade inside. How much science goes into finding those boulders?”
Claudia: “You’re lucky if you find one in a lifetime. We have found others that are still usable, their salable and great but that perfect one that’s worth 10 million or 100 million or a vein that can take care of you for the next 5 generations; that’s really what we’re looking for. We’ve found lots that’ve been disappointing, a few that have been life changing and always looking for the one that’ll be generational changing.”
HNM: “Your son works with you. Does he share the same enthusiasm?”
Claudia: “You’re lucky if you find one in a lifetime. We have found others that are still usable, their salable and great but that perfect one that’s worth 10 million or 100 million or a vein that can take care of you for the next 5 generations; that’s really what we’re looking for. We’ve found lots that were disappointing, a few that have been life changing but we’re always looking for the one that’ll be generational changing.”
HNM: “This is tough grueling work. How hard is it on the body?”
Claudia: “It’s really hard. There’s nothing easy about it. We have to climb mountains wearing equipment. I was badly hurt this season in a rock truck that took me six months to recover from. The roads are brutal, the jade is heavy and one missed step, you can die very easily. We had a fatality in the jade industry about 4 years ago and we all try to learn from that. The industry changes as things happen.”
HNM: “What comes first, the order or the search?”
Claudia: “We can walk and we can look all the time but to touch the ground, to mine the ground or dig the ground, that’s a different story. There are some changes happening in the mining industry and we don’t really know what the future holds.”
HNM: “This is your sixth season, do you still notice the cameras?”
Claudia: “We stopped noticing them after day one. We would never have done this show if the cameras were going to influence the way that we were going to live our life. There was a long discussion before we even decided to do the TV show. If they were there, we needed to live our lives the way we’d normally would. One thing about the camera crew however that causes more stress is, we’re not just responsible for the safety of our crew that’s mining but also the TV crew now. There are a lot of life threatening procedures that we have to do, so the stress becomes more tense. The great thing is, we all take really good care of each other, especially after six years. They know what I need and I know what they need to have a good TV show. Our life is already so chaotic (laughter) that they always have tons of extra footage.”
HNM: “If you could compare the hunt for jade to a relationship, would you say it’s a healthy one?”
Claudia: “I’ve been married 37 years and there’s been lots of ups and downs. I’ve been in the jade business with over 40 years with my family, same thing. Are they both worth it? Absolutely one hundred percent.”
HNM: “In terms your biggest jade market, who would that be?”
Claudia: “Absolutely one hundred percent, last year it was Vietnam and before that it was China for 40 years. Vietnam now understands jade and the strength of it. A lot of their monuments are crumbling and they want to replace it with jade, so it’s a beautiful open market right now.”
HNM: “How does it feel to educate the public on jade?”
Claudia: “We wanted to educate people about others buying jade all over the world; it’s actually coming from here.”
HNM: “If you weren’t doing this, what else would you be doing?”
Claudia: “I get asked that question a lot. I’d be lost; I don’t even have a close second. This is gold country and the gold rush came up through here but I couldn’t care less about it… unless it was a big gold find (laughing). It’s always been about the jade and I feel like my life has been predestined, so there is no close second.”
The interview with Cheryl Binning follows:
HNM: “How difficult was it to pitch a show like this to networks?”
Cheryl: “I actually wasn’t involved when it was pitched. I came on the show in season 5.”
HNM: “Are you surprised at the success of the show?”
Cheryl: “I think it’s great and it’s a testament to Claudia and Robin and her crew. The team behind the show that Omni Television has built has kept people coming back. People love treasure hunts and they love following these adventures that these hunts take them on. Everyday something new happens and there’s a new test. There’s always a crazy curve ball that comes their way and I think the audience loves the unpredictability of it. It’s also a family where the business is run by a woman in a male dominated world, so it’s unusual.”
HNM: “Does the crew ever rotate out because of the harsh conditions/danger level?”
Cheryl: “Fortunately no ones gotten hurt and they’re all very careful to wear safety helmets, high visibility vests and steel-toed boots. Claudia and Robin are very careful with the crew and there are safety meetings, everything is taken very seriously. They do rotate crews through but that’s due to long days and long hours of holding cameras. After a few weeks I think everyone needs a break and could use some downtime. I think it also prevents injury, because it’s when you’re tired that you can start cutting corners and take risks. They’re staying in camps the whole time and they want to go home to their families too. Our crews fly from Vancouver to Whitehorse and then drive for 5 hours to get to Jade City. That’s where Claudia has her store and community. From there they still have another drive to 2 Mile and that’s another 4 or 5 hrs. if the roads are good. If the road is bad or there’s rain it can take much longer. I’ve spent upwards of 15 hours on that road one time because of breakdowns and problems. So you never know.”
HNM: “How did you become involved in the series?”
Cheryl: “I was previously show-running Yukon Gold, which is set in Dawson City. When Omni was looking for someone to come on as a show-runner it seemed like a natural fit. I’ve been around shows that are dealing with heavy equipment and a tough environment.”
HNM: “How do your tasks differ on this show in comparison to working on Yukon Gold?”
Cheryl: “Each show has unique challenges. I run the crews in the field and ensure they’re keeping track of the story and if anything’s missed, we get what we needed. In post-production I run the team of editors and story editors that help put the team together. This show is also very remote and it adds that extra layer of ‘you never know what’s gonna happen’ even with careful planning.”
HNM: “Has this show given you a new appreciation for things made from jade?”
Cheryl: “Yes, it’s amazing when you see the small shiny pieces of jewelry or the polished up stones. You think, where did it all start and people like Claudia and Robin are out on a vast claim and following lenses; they’re looking at outcroppings and trying to judge where this jade is but it’s below the surface. There are little hints and clues above ground that they follow and then have to dig. Sometimes they come up with nothing and sometimes they come up with jade that looks good, they extract it from the ground and crack it open but then there’s a huge flaw in it or it doesn’t have the right colour or the colour isn’t consistent and they have to start over. To get that beautiful little piece of jewelry, there’s been a huge hunt and a massive endeavor to get it out of the ground.”
HNM: “Having the camera crew following the family and the crew around, are there times where they’ll discuss moments they don’t want used on the show if they feel it’s too private/personal?”
Cheryl: “We try to show everything that happens and then we make decisions in post-production about the best stories to tell. Claudia and Robin have been doing this a long time and they’ve been very open to the cameras. Occasionally something might come up that we’re not sure about, so we’ll shoot it and talk about it later.”
HNM: “As a producer, do you have to pitch the networks every year to maintain the show’s next season?”
Cheryl: “We talk to them every season before we start and kind of pitch what we anticipate what the next season could look like. We talk to Claudia and Robin about what their mining plan for the season is going to look like, what their goals are and what they want to get done. The network always wants to ensure that there’s potentially enough content for 14 episodes; every season has to be different than the previous season. This latest season they’re still at 2 Mile but their luck is turning, they’ve got great jade and a potential sale. Of course nothing comes easy or without a fight and that’s what this season is all about. Are they going to be able to fight through all the obstacles to make a sale or will a series of bad luck and problems stop them in their tracks? They say there’s a curse on jade and trying to find it. They say it’s the hardest thing ever to get out of the ground.”
HNM: “How long does it take to put one episode together?”
Cheryl: “The schedule’s pretty tight because of when we air, so while we’re shooting we’re working on the first few episodes. When we’re shooting the first 4 or 5 episodes we still don’t know how the season’s going to end. We’re shooting and editing at the same time and when the mining season ends then we’ll complete the last few episodes.”
HNM: “Who would be the one responsible for finding and tracking the storylines?”
Cheryl: “The DOP (director of photography) in the field sends in field notes and the footage every couple of weeks, so myself with a lead story editor keep track of what’s happening and potential storylines. It’s pretty old school that we put cards up on a big board everyday to keep track of what happens. ‘July 1st – the excavator goes down, July 2nd – found a massive boulder’ and things like that. We’re following all the stories and making sure nothing gets missed or making sure we have an ending for each of these stories.”
With the popularity of the show, it’s been seen in 185 countries worldwide. A few highlight broadcasters that have aired Jade Fever are Discovery UK (DMAX) – United Kingdom and Ireland, Prosieben MAXX – Germany, Austria, German speaking Switzerland, Seven Network (7mate) – Australia, Choice TV – New Zealand RMC Decouverte – France Discovery Spain – Spain, Portugal Via sat Explore – Nordics/Scandinavia, Eastern Europe. The Outdoor Channel – Pan Asia will be premiering very soon! We don’t know the exact numbers in Canada but we do know that season 3 increased 18% from season 2 and had 376,000 viewers. That was 3 seasons ago, but I can assume it’s over a million by now.
The Cassiar Mountains are so far north that in the summer, it’s daylight almost all day and the sun only fades to a light dusk at night.