Jade by Francisco™
Francisco Zuñiga has 40 years of experience working with jade and has been featured in the National Geographic and the books Jade and Jades of Mesoamerica. Francisco has pioneered several jade crafting tools and is one of the masters of his trade.
Over the years Francisco has found more than 30 distinct shades of green in addition to various shades of purple, black and white. His favorite color is “sandia” (watermelon) and he has only ever found one rock of this kind.
Francisco holds a jade certification license and sets each jade piece in his own sterling silver. He cuts, shapes, sands, engraves and polishes his pieces using a combination of tools he developed by customizing a grinder and dentist drill.
It takes several days for Francisco to bring a jade rock down from the mountains and it can take years of searching before he finds a jadeite rock of the right color. Francisco spends four to five hours to cut and shape a rock, then one day to sand, engrave and polish a detailed piece.
Francisco works at his home in the village of San Juan Del Obispo and supports his wife Odilia, his son Freddy, his daughter Rosita and his wife’s family.
Francisco Zuñiga has 40 years of experience working with jade and has been featured in the National Geographic and the books Jade and Jades of Mesoamerica. Francisco has pioneered several jade crafting tools and is one of the masters of his trade.
Over the years Francisco has found more than 30 distinct shades of green in addition to various shades of purple, black and white. His favorite color is “sandia” (watermelon) and he has only ever found one rock of this kind.
Francisco holds a jade certification license and sets each jade piece in his own sterling silver. He cuts, shapes, sands, engraves and polishes his pieces using a combination of tools he developed by customizing a grinder and dentist drill.
It takes several days for Francisco to bring a jade rock down from the mountains and it can take years of searching before he finds a jadeite rock of the right color. Francisco spends four to five hours to cut and shape a rock, then one day to sand, engrave and polish a detailed piece.
Francisco works at his home in the village of San Juan Del Obispo and supports his wife Odilia, his son Freddy, his daughter Rosita and his wife’s family.
The ripple effect...
Did you know that Francisco donated a jade and jasper necklace to a US children’s services agency? The piece, which he designed and crafted himself, raised $900 at the agency’s fundraising auction in March 2008.
Did you know that Francisco donated a jade and jasper necklace to a US children’s services agency? The piece, which he designed and crafted himself, raised $900 at the agency’s fundraising auction in March 2008.