Jade deposits in Buryatia on the map. Where is the jade mineral mined and how is it used? Jade heals all diseases

Good day, friends! You probably know that our country is very rich in oil and gas. However, not only practical raw materials are mined in Russia, but also decorative stones, including jade. The semi-precious mineral has been discovered in many regions, and new mines are constantly being searched for. Let's look specifically at where jade is mined in Russia in order to once again be surprised by the wealth of our homeland.

Value of the stone

Jade is an unusual breed. It is found quite often in the earth's crust, and therefore is not considered precious, but if you look at the history of the mineral, you can only be surprised at how revered it was in ancient times.

The gem was considered an invaluable, loyal friend. It was used to make tools, weapons for hunting and combat, decorative items, jewelry, dishes, etc. With such a seemingly comprehensive practical “earthly” role, jade was deified. The Aztecs, for example, performed all sacrifices only with a jade knife, and the Chinese imperial seal was made of the mineral as a symbol of approval of power by the gods. It was also believed that the gem protected against natural disasters, epidemics, war, and pestilence.

However, there was something to respect the mineral for. Jade is a very durable rock; a curious experiment was conducted at one of the factories in Siberia - a steam hammer was brought down on a block of stone, and there was no dent or scratch left on it. What makes the gem so unshakable is its special viscosity characteristics; it seems to be woven from millions of tightly woven felt threads. It should be noted that jade is not afraid of either fire or even the most caustic acids.

The history of the discovery of jade in Russia

Since ancient times, the stone has been known in Russia, and although the first mine was developed only in the 19th century in the Eastern Sayan region, there is historical evidence that the peoples living here have used the gem since the Paleolithic era. It probably played a special significance in funeral culture, since archaeologists often find the stone in burial grounds.

The history of mining for our country begins in 1821 with a walk by an ordinary teacher of the gymnasium Shchukin along the Onot River in the city of Irkutsk. The man discovered an unusual find, which he immediately reported to St. Petersburg. Unfortunately, no one paid the slightest attention to the information received from a simple school minister - despite the fact that there was interest in the stone - it was actively exported from China. Shchukin did not give up and continued to write, and when more than a dozen special letters arrived at the bureaucratic structure, they gave up in St. Petersburg and sent an official to Irkutsk.

Already in the middle of the 19th century, thanks to the concern of the common man, Russia was able to extract more than 700 pounds of semi-precious stone, and by the end of the century one could see amazingly beautiful jade jewelry and products from Russia at London and Paris exhibitions.

Development of mining in the 19th century

The opening of the first mine started a chain reaction, one after another new sources of jade deposits were discovered in the country. Leonid Yachevsky occupied a special place in the history of the search for deposits; he not only discovered several mines in the areas of the Kitoi, Onot, Urik and Belaya rivers, but also discovered a huge boulder of rock, which was dubbed the “general’s mineral.” Unfortunately, the fate of the impressively large gem turned out to be sad. Initially, it was decided to make a gravestone from it for Tsar Alexander III, but his wife did not accept the idea, explaining that the rock was not light enough. As a result, the block was simply stolen by illegal miners.

By the beginning of the 20th century, 80 tons of jade were mined. The pace gradually increased, but in 1939, two years after the discovery of the largest Ospinskoye deposit, official mining of the rock was stopped for vague reasons. The state began to deal with the mineral again only in 1965.

The 60-80s of the 20th century became golden years for jade mining in Russia. The Ulan-Khodinsky mine was opened in 1965, the Khamarkhudinsky mine in 1973, the Boldoktinsky mine in 1974, and the Khargatinsky mine in 1977. The year 1978 became especially significant - a point for the extraction of snow-white jade appeared on the map of Russia; this rock is formed in a different way than green. Gems were discovered in the Vitimsky district; currently the mine is called Buromskoye.

It is worth noting that jade is a stone of a very wide color palette, but green gems are most often found in nature. It was with them that until 1978 they mainly worked in Russia, occasionally encountering red, blue, and black minerals. No one expected to find a white stone; it was believed that a rock of this type could only have formed in China.

Mining of the mineral is still developing, with more and more deposits being discovered. For example, in 2003, the Akademicheskoye jade deposit was discovered in the Urals. Gem reserves in the Krasnoyarsk Territory are estimated at almost 350 tons; Buryatia is actively being explored - the Khotiya and Udokan mines have recently been put into operation.

Jade is actively exported, mainly to China, but, of course, there are quite a few problems in the industry that need to be solved. Firstly, Russia sells stones at very low prices, and secondly, illegal mining, carried out using explosives, is thriving. Today, regional authorities - active gem miners - are developing measures to solve the problem.

The special place of Buryatia in jade mining

Altai, Southern Urals, Kamchatka, Tuva, Bashkortostan, Chelyabinsk region... it would take a long time to list the locations of jade deposits in Russia, but even taken together they cannot compare with the reserves of gems in Buryatia.

• Buryatia is a real storehouse of a wide variety of precious and semi-precious stones. Most of the jade deposits are also based in this region. Currently, about 90% of all jade is mined there, and of the 16 active deposits today, 13 have been discovered in Buryatia. It is noteworthy that production rates are growing; over the last twenty years, the figures have increased almost 18 times.
• In total, there are five active mining areas in the region - Muyskoye, Bauntovskoye, Zakamenskoye, Tunkinskoye and Okinskoye.
• Gems of rare shades - blue, red, white - are found in mines located in the northern part of the region on the border with the Trans-Baikal Territory. The most promising are the Kovytinsky, Golyubinsky and Ospino deposits. The Ospinsky mine produces apple-colored jade in the cat's eye style - it is highly valued in Europe.
• By the way, in the Trans-Baikal Territory, adjacent to Buryatia, there is another interesting deposit - Udokanskoe, its remarkable feature is that it contains stones of a honey or gold hue, which are extremely rare in nature.

Jade mining in Russia is a very promising industry; studies show that the deposits of the mineral in our country are huge. Given that work is currently underway at many large mines, new ones are already being prepared, and this is another reason to be proud of the wealth of resources of our country.

Team LyubiKamni

In this article:

Where is jade mined in Russia? The main deposits are found in Eastern Siberia. Currently, there are four areas rich in jade. These are Western Sayan, Eastern Sayan, Dzhidinsky and Vitimsky.

Ulan-Khodinskoye field, Eastern Sayan, Russia

Deposits are also known in the Polar Urals, Sakhalin and Kamchatka. There are plenty of raw materials in Russia, but most of them are exported to China.

A little history

Russian jade deposits were discovered in the Eastern Sayan Mountains at the beginning of the 19th century. Although local peoples (Soyots) have been decorating their outfits with green stones since time immemorial. Jade has been known here since the Neolithic period: it is found in the burial grounds of various tribes.

In 1821, on the Onot River, a teacher at the Irkutsk gymnasium, Shchukin, found round pieces of jade. He sent the find along with a letter to St. Petersburg. There, few people paid attention to the report of the teacher from the province. Jade was still exported from China at a thousand rubles per pood. Only when reports about jade deposits exceeded a dozen, V. G. Permikin, an official of special assignments, was sent to Eastern Siberia.

In the 50s of the last century, Permikin brought about 700 pounds of jade from the Sayan Mountains. Supplies were transported only on ice in winter; this was impossible in summer. Ten years later, jade products were demonstrated at exhibitions in London and Paris. Until the end of the 19th century, other deposits were discovered in Eastern Siberia.

In 1896, geologist Leonard Yachevsky discovered a deposit in the valley of the Khara-Zhelge River. He was searching for jade deposits in the upper reaches of the Kitoi, Onot, Urik and Belaya rivers. On the bank of the Onot River he discovered a boulder, which later received the name “general’s stone”.

They wanted to make a sarcophagus from it for the late Emperor Alexander III. But the widow did not like the stone: the jade seemed too dark to her. Subsequently, this boulder was cut into pieces by illegal miners.

Before 1900, not much stone was mined, about 80 tons. A record amount of jade was mined by an entrepreneur from Irkutsk, Johann Schnelle; his company sold about 90 tons of jade. He was also searching for jade after the revolution as a geologist at Burgosstroy. He is responsible for the discovery of the stone on the Nameless Spring (flows into the Onot River).

Until 1939, about 70 tons of jade were mined in the USSR. In 1937, the largest Ospinskoye deposit was discovered. In 1939, production ceased. Until 1965, jade was not officially mined in the Soviet Union.

This year, the Ulan-Khodinskoye deposit was discovered, where apple-green jade is found. In 1973, the Khamarkhudinskoye deposit was discovered with smoky-gray jade, which contains sulfur and greenish shades. In 1974, the Boldoktinskoye placer deposit was discovered, and in 1977, the Khargatinskoye placer deposit.

Until 1978, stone was mined at six mines. In 1978, geologists mining jade made an unexpected discovery. Reserves of white jade were discovered in the Vitim region. It is formed according to a completely different principle than green.

White jade forms in sedimentary polycarbonate rocks rich in magnesium, and the rocks are completely devoid of iron. It was believed that deposits of white jade were found only in China; their discovery in the USSR was a revolution in jade exploration.

It is noteworthy that until the late 80s it was believed that the discovery of white jade was of purely geological interest. The fact that a gem can bring millions of dollars in profit was realized only in the 90s. Unfortunately, this money did not go to the state budget. Most of the profits from production and sales went to private entities.

Jade of Buryatia

Buryatia is called a storehouse of gems. And not least because most of the jade deposits are located here. 90 percent of jades are mined here - out of 16 deposits in Russia, 13 are concentrated in this region. Over the past 20 years, jade production has increased 18 times.

Large jade deposits

In the north of Buryatia, on the border with the Trans-Baikal Territory, reserves of rare flowers were discovered: red, white, blue jade. The best are the Kavoktinskoye, Golyubinskoye and Ospinskoye deposits. The latter produces a stone with a cat's eye effect, apple green in color. This shade is most valued in Europe.

Jade deposits are concentrated in five regions of Buryatia: Muisky, Bauntovsky, Zakamensky, Tunkinsky and Okinsky. Three deposits of white jade are known in Mue and Baunt.

In the 21st century, the discovery of jade deposits continues. Thus, the Khoitinskoye deposit on the Tsipa River and the Udokanskoye deposit on the Kalar River were discovered.

It is noteworthy that in Buryatia there are areas in which jade deposits have not been fully studied. Thus, there are suggestions that there are deposits along the Bokson River near the left tributary of the Oka River. The western part of the Eastern Sayan Mountains has not been completely explored. Many areas are inaccessible and can only be reached by helicopter.

Jade export to China

The export of jade to China began in 1930. The delegation from the Middle Kingdom meticulously selected 800 kilograms of the best quality stone from the five tons offered. During the existence of the USSR, jade was exported to the Middle Kingdom more than once, but sales were sporadic until the end of the 20th century.

Jade is the national stone of the Celestial Empire. Every family in the country strives to have jade jewelry in their home, as the gem is believed to bestow longevity and wealth. There are more than a billion Chinese, but there is no jade mining. All fields are closed and a moratorium has been introduced on production. Jade is exported to the Celestial Empire from many countries, and not least from Russia.

Jade is a semi-precious ornamental stone. It contains: magnesium, calcium silicate, iron.

Jade is many times stronger than steel

Previously, in China, jade was considered a sacred stone because it was believed that it could induce a person to change his behavior. For a deluded person it becomes dark. In addition, it was credited with the property of protecting its owner from dark and otherworldly forces, as well as providing longevity, even family happiness.

Today, jade stone is processed and beautiful products such as beads, rings and earrings in a silver frame are created from it. Many people wear them as a talisman against the evil eye. A product with red jade will provide protection from lightning and fires, from earthquakes and other disasters from the elements.

The origin of the stone dates back to Neolithic times. The strength of jade made it possible to make tools for hunting and labor, and amulets. It was also used for constructing idols.

Jade deposits are possible in places where volcanic magma has penetrated into the rock.. Found in slate, marble and gneisses. They are mined from placers in small streams and rivers, as well as from quarries. At the same time, a mineral extracted from water is valued higher because it is stronger.

Some deposits are known where the mineral was formed under the influence of magma rich in magnesium dolomites.

Despite the open method of jade mining (not in mines), accidents often occur, which leads to human deaths

Deposits can be found on every continent, in more than 20 countries. However, large ones are located in Australia and New Zealand, the USA and China, Russia and Canada.

Home:: Minerals and rocks

Nephritis

English name: Nephrite

It is a type of mineral: TremoliteFerroactinolite

Jade is a dense and viscous cryptocrystalline (microcrystalline) fibrous variety of the tremolite-ferro-actinolite solution minerals, including actinolite, which remains listed as an IMA mineral as of May 2015.

Sometimes jade is considered as a rock, the bulk of which consists of such varieties of minerals of this series. Valuable ornamental stone (blue jade - dianite - is extremely rare and especially highly valued). Very viscous due to the interweaving of fine-crystalline fibers, and therefore very durable. At the fracture, the surface is uneven with sharp thin edges. Has a waxy sheen, incl. on a polished surface at any degree of polishing. The most valuable jewelry variety of jade, the one with the cat's eye effect, is very rare.

Most jade deposits are located in areas where intrusive igneous rocks intrude into serpentinites. There are rare deposits where jade was formed as a result of the action of magma on magnesium-rich dolomites.
Jade has several names: “lumbar” or “kidney” stone. It received this name because of its similarity in appearance to the human kidney. Ancient people, due to the hardness of this stone being twice as hard as steel, made strong arrowheads from it. For this reason, the ancient name for jade is “axe stone.” In China, jade was valued more than gold jewelry and ivory.

For many centuries, various types of jewelry, religious and household items were created from jade. Symbols of power were cut out of it and used to decorate royal tombs and palaces. Nowadays, jade is used to make jewelry for women and talismans.

In ancient times, it was believed that jade had many healing properties: jade brings calmness and cures kidney diseases. Small pebbles resemble a kidney in appearance. The amazing properties of jade - its strength (twice as strong as steel), viscosity, resistance to abrasion and acids have attracted human attention to it since ancient times. Archaeological research has discovered jade objects dating back to the Neolithic. Various tools and weapons were made from jade, amulets (mainly from white jade), figurines of gods, and jewelry were carved. Jade is ideal for carving. It is a hard material that is not scratched by steel. Jade is mined in the mountains and along river banks. Jade pebbles are more valuable because they are much denser. Pebbles can be covered with traces of oxidation, which craftsmen never remove and always incorporate them into the composition of the craft, cutting out small details using the oxide.

Jade was especially popular in Ancient China, where it was valued so highly that it was used to make plaques that were used on a par with coins; jade weights were the standard for weighing gold, and paired jade plates served as a passport for the emperor's envoys. Famous Chinese carvings are known all over the world: vases, bowls, boxes, animal figurines, pagodas, balls located one inside the other, and other jewelry. Jade until the middle of the 19th century. imported to Russia from China.

At this time, the Peterhof lapidary factory purchased dark green jade for a thousand rubles per pound, and for better quality the price doubled. In the middle of the 19th century. G. M. Permikin discovered jade boulders in the Eastern Sayan, and then the first primary deposit. Products of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory made from Sayan jade were demonstrated at the World Exhibitions in London and Paris in 1862 and 1867.

Location
Russia
Bortogolskoye, Gorlykgolskoye, Ulankhodinskoye /now mined/ and Ospinskoye deposits (west of Lake Baikal in the spurs of the Eastern Sayan along the Onot and Biboy rivers)
Buromskoye and Golyubinskoye deposits (basin of the Vitim river, Eastern Siberia) are placers of high-quality white, yellow, soft green (light green) and black jade.
Khamarkhudinskoye deposit in the basin. R. Dzhidy (left tributary of the Selenga River, Buryatia).
Nyrdvomenshor deposit, Polar Urals
Foreign deposits
In the western spurs of the ridge. Kuen-Lun near Kashgar and Khotan and in the form of pebbles along the banks of rivers flowing from the spurs of these mountains (ancient and most famous deposits); Prov. British Columbia (Canada); in pcs. Montana, Alaska, Washington, California (USA); large deposits are also known in Australia, New Zealand (New Zealand material is distinguished by its high quality; it is translucent, has good coloring and is considered one of the best in the world), Brazil, Mexico, and Poland.

Properties

• Selection form: cryptocrystalline solid masses.
• Color: Green: from light to dark. Less common are jade in white, yellow, blue and black colors.
• Color 2: White Yellow Green Blue
• Transparency: translucent see through
• Hardness: 5 5,5 6
• Origin of name: from Greek nejroV (nephros) - kidney
• Zodiac sign: Taurus Gemini Virgo Libra
• Literature: Dobretsov N.L., Tatarinov A.V. Jadeite and nephrite in ophiolites. Novosibirsk: Nauka, Sibirsk. department, 1983. 124 pp.; Nephrites of Siberia Kolesnik Yu. N. Nephrites of Siberia. Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1965; Prokhor S.A. Udokan Golden Jade; Suturin N.A., Zamaletdinov R.S. Jades. Novosibirsk: Nauka, Siberian Branch, 1984. 149 p.

Photo

View all photos Jade

Articles on the topic

• Nephritis
  In China, jade was considered the national stone and was so highly valued that plaques were made from it, which were in circulation on a par with coins, and paired jade plates served as a passport for the emperor's envoys.
• Path of Jade
  Many Chinese texts are devoted to describing the color of jade and its corresponding properties.
• Legends and truth about jade
  The amazing properties of jade - its strength, viscosity, resistance to abrasion and acids have attracted human attention to it since ancient times

Jade deposits

• Irkutsk region
• Urik river
• Golyubinskoye field
• Russia
• The Republic of Buryatia
• Transbaikal region

What is jade? Properties, extraction, application and price of jade

No.

Date of assignment of the State registration number

State registration number of the license

Subsoil user name

Purpose of subsoil use and types of work

Name of the authority that issued the permit to use the land plot

Name of the subsoil area. Type of object. Location

Recusal status

Name of the authorized body for managing the subsoil fund

Name of the state authority of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation

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1

08.06.2002

UDE

00770

TR

LLC Geological Enterprise "Sibirgeologiya"; 664074, Irkutsk, Lermontov St., 78/421; Sekerin A.P., tel: 38-76-44

exploration and mining

Gorlykgol deposit (veins 10, 36 and 37), Republic of Buryatia, Okinsky district

mountain

GUPR for the Republic of Buryatia Bakhtin V.I.

Government of the Republic of Buryatia Perelyaev V.V.

01.01.2020

Yes

Addition (change) to license No. 161 dated May 17, 2004; Addition (change) to the license (territorial body of Rosnedra) No. b/n dated 07/07/2017; Addition (change) to the license (territorial body of Rosnedra) No. b/n dated December 15, 2017

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Other jadeite deposits of the world

Field in Kazakhstan

The Itmurunda jadeite deposit in Kazakhstan was discovered in the 50s of the 20th century. It is located 110 km from the city of Kashi among a massif of serpentinites stretching in the northwest direction for 30 km, with a width ranging from several meters to 1.5 km.

The diameter of jadeite veins ranges from one to several tens of meters.

Some veins, especially the largest ones, consist of gray jadeite. Closer to the outer layers, a lot of green jadeite appears, as well as albite, analcime, natrolite, and tremolite. Based on the location of the veins in the deposit, you can even give them “names.” In the vein cores the main constituent is almost monomineral jadeite; closer to the edges: a layer of omphacite, and the outermost layer is orthopyroxene ( Fig.5)

Another researcher discovered that the “original” deposits of deposits can be divided into 2 types according to their formation. The first type is dominated by actinolite, albite-quartz crystalline structures, and the second type is dominated by albite.

Jade (stone)

Under the influence of erosion, albite turns into “hard” jade, and actinolite, under the influence of erosion, turns into omphacite. In the actinolite-albite-quartz layer, "hard" jade initially appears in an area that does not contain quartz. Places rich in quartz are not very suitable for the formation of “hard” jade.

In the veins, albite gradually undergoes very large changes.

All varieties of jadeites in Kazakhstan can be divided into 3 types: jadeite of white-light-gray color, jadeite of dark gray color, jadeite of light green-dark green color.

Below are their features:

(1) Jadeite is white - light gray in color.

This is the main type of jadeite found in these deposits.

In terms of volume, its content sometimes reaches 70-90% of the total composition. Its chemical composition: jadeite - 80-95%, albite - 3-5% and a small amount of dark-colored minerals such as magnetite, graphite (2-5% of the total volume).

(2) Jadeite is dark gray in color.

This species is quite rare, mostly it is very dark in color, closer to black.

Most often it can be found where there is an increased amount of magnets and graphite in the layer. Chemical composition: jadeite - 70-90%, omphacite - up to 5%, magnetite and graphite content is quite large - from 5 to 35%.

(3) Green jadeite.

Green jadeite is usually located in the upper layers of veins, color: gray-green, dark green, burgundy-green.

Small such formations can stand out as uneven spots on white and gray-white jadeites. The main composition of green jade: jadeite with a high chromium content, omphacites, and possibly a small amount of chromites (Table 1).

The combination of jadeite and omphacites in green jadeites is symbiotic, paragenetic.

(4) Multi-colored jadeite.

Multi-colored jadeite is often found next to white jadeite stones, on the upper layers.

One stone can combine white, gray, green, black, etc. colors.

Table 1 Chemical analysis of “hard” jade from the Mulunde deposit in Kazakhstan (%)

*F1-4 Direct contact with chromium affects the color, with green, light green, and white jadeite colors predominating.

**F5-F10 Light green, almost colorless jadeite.

The structure of all jadeites in Kazakhstan is crystalline.

The structure of monomineral jadeite is curved and "fragmented". Based on the size of the grains, two categories can be distinguished: the first is very small grains, up to 0.05 mm. The second category is grains with a diameter of up to 2 mm.

Most of all, opaque or translucent medium-grained jadeite of light green and green colors is mined here.

When compared with Myanmar jadeite, the most similarity is observed with Haipailiao of the medium and low category.

Arelik deposit in America

This deposit is located in California near San Venito and formed during the late Jurassic-Cretaceous period.

The serpentinite massif is oval in shape, extends 16 km in length and 6.4 km in width. The serpentine layer also contains remnants and xenoliths of primary volcanic rock.

Their sizes range from several meters to several hundred meters, and the minerals undergo oxidation. Gradually, the density becomes greater, essonite, diopside, tremolite, and vesuvian are formed.

These layers react with the forming jadeite pyroxene and thus form jadeite deposits ( rice. 6).

1) Early and late remnants of the Cenozoic era, the boundaries are unclear.

2) Marine sediments of the Late Cretaceous period.

3) “Fracesco” groups, Jurassic-Cretaceous periods.

4) Serpentinite layers containing remnants and xenoliths of primary volcanic rock.

5) Serpentinite.

In this field, the smooth transition of rock layers is especially noticeable.

Layers of xenolith, layers of albite and alkaline amphibole gradually transform into layers of albite-jadeite, as well as into a layer of green diopside and jadeite-omphacite. The albite-jadeite layer at the deposit is very clean; if you look at a vertical section, it is mostly white jadeite.

In the central part of the deposit, green jadeite is formed alternating with layers of white jadeite.

In layers of green, light green and dark green jadeite, peeling planes are formed (width from a few millimeters to 2.5 cm). Green jadeite contains: 75% jadeite, 15% aegirine, 7% diopside and 3% essonite, as well as a small amount of natrolite, but does not contain albite ( Fig.7). In white jadeite, the content of jadeite pyroxene is extremely high - about 97%.

The quality of the jadeite mined here is very low; a small amount of rare emerald-colored jadeite is found.

Jadeite Japan

In Japan, jadeite has been discovered in Niigata Prefecture, Yushi, Chinhai and other places.

The first discovered jadeite deposit was near Niigata Prefecture, discovered in 1938. In fact, jadeites in Japan began to be used in ancient times.

According to the results of scientists' research, it was found that jadeite deposits were formed as a result of the collision of lithospheric ocean plates and continental plates. As a result, the Japanese islands began to move northeast, and the pressure between the plates increased greatly.

This also affected the layers of lawsonite - glaucophane, and under the influence of strong pressure the process of formation of jadeite began.

The quality of Japanese jadeite varies ( Fig.8), the mineral composition of the stones is very heterogeneous. Sometimes you can see Japanese jadeite of good quality, with rich color, but the transparency of the stone is usually poor. Jadeite in Japan is mined in small quantities, the quality is quite low, so it is mainly of interest only to collectors and lovers of this stone.

Other jadeite mining sites

In addition to all of the above, there are a large number of other known jadeite deposits in the world.

For example, such as Celebes or Mocchiesusa in Spain. In France, in New Zealand, in the Chinese provinces of Yunnan and Hebei, jadeite deposits have also been discovered in all these places.

Many of them have already been explored, and the mined jadeites have their own already determined value.

Products made from jadeite from these deposits are increasingly beginning to appear on the markets.

This criminal story began in the summer of 2014 and could have remained unknown to the general public if one of its participants had not decided to talk about it, writes Newsbabr.com.

The question is not about any particular honesty of our interlocutor - it’s just that out of the three defendants in the case, he was left alone before the law.

In the language of the investigators, he was given full responsibility.

Last summer, three relatively young people decided to get a little rich. Not entirely legal, of course.

Jade deposits and ancient legends

It was quite simple to do this - after all, two of the trio are police officers. And the third has a dad.

The enrichment scheme was outrageously simple: it is unclear why no one has thought of this before.

In the Sayan valleys, not only gold or spinel is illegally mined, but also less expensive (and therefore less state-controlled) jade. However, even the relatively low cost of the stone is amazing - Oka green jade costs about $500 per kilogram.

Baunt white jade already costs from five to ten thousand dollars per kilogram. The main consumer of jade is China, where this stone is in some cases valued higher than gold.

Jade is mined mainly in the territory of Buryatia - in the Tunkinsky, Barguzinsky and Okinsky regions. Illegal jade mining is a separate story that is not related to our story, and more on that later.

As a rule, professional teams from Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk and Ulan-Ude extract stone. Production is regulated “according to rules”; excesses are rare.

The main purchase of jade takes place in Irkutsk - this is where the largest underground market for this mineral is.

It is sold in much smaller volumes in Ulan-Ude and Chita. Jade is bought by Chinese citizens and taken to their homeland.

This is where a weak link was discovered, which it was decided to deploy for the benefit of individual citizens. According to our interlocutor, the whole scheme was invented by none other than Sergei Alekseev, a very enterprising businessman, the son of Boris Alekseev, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly of the Irkutsk Region.

Chinese citizens were caught red-handed immediately after the transaction was completed. After all, purchasing semi-precious stones without a license and without trade documents is a direct violation of the law. Of course, it was not Sergei Alekseev himself who detained, but two of his friends and accomplices: the head of OP-9, Lieutenant Colonel Ilya Vychuzhin and the detective of the department for combating economic crimes, Alexey Levitsky.

The detained Chinese were released on bail. The stone was registered as evidence and stored at the regional department.

And here comes the most interesting part. The fact is that natural jade looks like an ordinary slightly greenish cobblestone. After the arrest and seizure, the jade was stored at the regional department as evidence. And at night it was replaced with cobblestones collected on the banks of the Angara and taken to a base specially rented from the famous Gleb L.. The first expert, seeing a cobblestone instead of jade, twirled his finger at his temple and informed Vychuzhin and Levitsky that they had detained the Chinese in vain, and the case should be closed.

Of course, none of the Chinese even thought of protesting and drawing criminal charges for themselves. It's better to lose a little money than a lot of freedom.

However, the criminal trinity unfolded on too large a scale. Perhaps the experts brought in repeatedly were puzzled by the systemic idiocy of the duo. Or maybe she just didn’t share it with who she needed to.

One way or another, the Internal Security Directorate of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the FSB Directorate for the Irkutsk Region became interested in the issue. The development was carried out professionally - all actions to remove the jade from the regional department were recorded on video, the negotiations of the defendants were also recorded.

Sergei Alekseev took up the matter. Using his father’s famous name, he tried to “drive up” through his relatives to the head of the Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee for the city of Irkutsk, Mikhail Fedyashev.

It was not possible - the chief investigator was not tempted by tempting offers.

Then Sergei Alekseev turned to his dad. According to reports, they together tried to persuade the prosecutor in charge of the case to close it.

It is not known exactly how the persuasion ended, but somehow it turned out that today the only person under investigation remains in the case. This is a former BEP detective, Aleksey Levitsky, who has already been dismissed from the authorities.

Lieutenant Colonel Ilya Vychuzhin not only did not part with his organs, but also continues to hold office. Now he is the deputy head of OP-8 in Irkutsk-II. The CSS checks, despite the presence of video recordings, “did not find anything.” It turns out that several tons of jade migrated through the regional police department, and its chief did not notice anything?

Dad's son Sergei Alekseev is also free and completely immersed in quiet family happiness.

Which, by the way, we will also tell you about soon.

And the case will most likely be closed altogether due to some newly discovered circumstances. Because Sergei Alekseev has a dad. And dad is very friendly with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Lyudmila Berlina. As you know, she is one of the prosecutors - and there are no former prosecutors, like security officers.

In fact, why shouldn’t the prosecutor’s team help the “jade boy” Sergei Alekseev, who is in trouble?

“Where can I buy real jade?” – this question was once asked by each of our clients. The solution for them was to order raw stone from the Rosnefrit company.