Jade Fever (2015–…): Season 2, Episode 8 - Big Chunk of Green - full transcript
As Claudia's crew digs boulders out of the new mining area at Wolverine, Alan announces that he's bringing a group of buyers to camp. With no good jade to show, the race is on. They struggle through bad boulders and a faulty generator, hoping to find some quality jade on time
(metal clanking)
(intense rock music)
- Oh my God!
Up here near the Yukon in Jade City,
we've got the world's richest
deposits of nephrite jade,
and the Chinese want it.
(laughing)
- This is gonna be the
million-dollar rock.
- Now, we just have to find it.
(cheering)
I will dig 'til my hands bleed.
Woo, go!
Jade makes people do crazy things.
(laughing)
(thunder rumbling)
- [Narrator] It's a soggy day
at the Bunce's jade mine, Wolverine.
- Today, we're going to
go down and check out
where Guy was digging.
- [Narrator] A few days
ago, they started mining
in a new area of the
claim in northern D.C..
- [Guy] This side here is
all full of big boulders.
- [Narrator] Now with a
second excavator at site,
mining has kicked into high gear.
- Every time they find a jade boulder,
they better do the fist bump!
- [Narrator] Halfway through
their 100-day season,
and Claudia's hoping her father Steve
has put them back on track to find jade.
- See that green over there?
That's where you go look for jade.
About 90% chance there's jade there.
See, this is the area I would dig.
I just smell something there.
The old nose worked for me.
- We've already proven
jade's on the property,
but the little bits here and there,
it just isn't enough to keep mining.
You've got to be a better miner,
you gotta find me way more jade!
- If it's here, and I dig it up, yeah.
No problem, that's easy.
- [Narrator] After days of
digging in the new area,
it's time to see what they've found.
- [Claudia] Okay, couldn't we
mine a little closer to camp?
- [Guy] We've been mining close to camp,
and what have we found?
- If we don't find any jade this summer,
I can't see my partners
backing me any more.
Wow, that looks different!
(metal chinking)
- [Man] I like the
outside look of this one!
- [Guy] Paint it!
(spray paint hissing)
- [Robin] This one looks actually
pretty, freakin' good.
- Yeah, I think it is.
- [Claudia] Wow.
This little area right here is just clear.
- [Narrator] Robin uses a hammer
to help narrow down their selection.
(spray paint hissing)
(metal chinking)
If a boulder is jade,
the ping from the hammer
will ring metallic.
- This is totally different than anything
that we've mined in Wolverine so far.
- [Robin] Look at that green there!
- [Guy] This guy's green.
- [Claudia] Oh God, you guys,
please don't get me too excited.
I say we each pick one,
and we take 'em and try 'em.
- [Man In Orange] This is my one.
- That's your one?
I like this one.
But it's gonna be too big.
That one?
- [Man In Orange] No, it's not too big.
- [Guy] Okay, I pick this one.
- Robin's turn.
Is this your rock?
- [Robin] Right here.
- [Guy] You don't really
have to paint this one,
Robin, it kind of sticks
out like a sore thumb.
- [Claudia] Look at this green right here.
- [Robin] Well, all of it,
look at it, it's everywhere.
It's all over it.
- Yeah, but...
- [Robin] Right here, see?
- [R2] Is one this big like that one?
- [Guy] That would pay for the summer.
- [Robin] Then we got
some money happenin'.
- [Claudia] You guys,
we're gotta start cutting
'cause I'm gonna have a heart attack.
- [Narrator] Devin brings the
chosen boulders to the saws
so they can be cut open.
- [Claudia] So now it's cut, cut and cut.
I'm lookin' for the green jade.
- This is the one that looks like it
could have some good potential in it,
so we'll cut 'er today and find out.
(rocks thudding)
- [Narrator] But before
they can get started,
Claudia gets some surprising news.
- [Claudia] Robin!
- [Robin] What's that?
- Alan just phoned from
the Vancouver Airport.
- Mm-hm?
- He is coming with six people.
- [Robin] Right now?
- Six Chinese.
- [Narrator] Claudia and
Robin's partner, Alan,
has been in China drumming up business.
This time, he's bringing
the jade customers
right to the source.
(speaks in foreign language)
- We're in the middle of season
and we don't have very much jade yet.
We're not ready for the buyers to show up.
- We're mining for so long
and they totally ignore us
and no communication and then,
I'll be in Jade City tonight
and I'm bringing six people.
And he does this every single time.
They never give us any
time to get organized.
With the buyers coming out,
we have to have something to sell to them,
and something that we're
proud to sell to them.
(helicopter engine whirring)
- [Narrator] Robin and
Claudia leave for Jade City
immediately to prepare for Alan's arrival.
That leaves Guy and R2
to cut as many boulders
as possible before Alan
arrives with the buyers.
- If you tell me there's buyers comin',
I'm goin' someone should've called me
'cause we got 'no jade.
Why bring a buyer?
- [Narrator] The first boulder to be cut
is the one Robin chose, but
it's too big for the rock saw.
- I'm not excited one
bit to use this thing.
- [Narrator] Boulders
too big for the blade
are cut with the wire saw.
A long, diamond studded
chain runs across the boulder
and shreds its way through.
It's a time consuming process
that needs constant supervision.
- The chain pulls the motor back
so we have to inch our way back,
but if you do it too much and it catches,
everything flips and breaks
so you gotta be real
careful with this one.
Gotta have the right tension on it.
- So someone has to be
here to turn the wheel
about 1/8 of a turn every few minutes.
- [Guy] Hey, Who's the poor bastard
who's gonna do this all day?
- [R2] This is gonna get old really quick!
(saw whirring)
(birds chirping)
(soft intense music)
- [Narrator] Over in Jade City,
Alan arrives with his guests from China.
- Hey, Robin, Claudia!
- Hey.
- [Narrator] Alan's got
big news for his partners,
Claudia and Robin.
- [Claudia] Of course, hello.
- Mister Muo, he wanna go
in to check out our claim
because he has like a big investment plan.
- [Narrator] To help fill the
high demand for jade in China,
these prospective buyers are looking
for a steady supply of jade.
- The Chinese government,
they wanna like, have a
special area for jade carving.
I think about like
1,000 to 3,000 tons jade
every year for carving.
- [Narrator] It's an
even bigger opportunity
than they expected, but right now,
they have almost nothing
to show them at Wolverine.
At the mine, after four hours of cutting,
Guy and R2 are ready to
crack open the big boulder.
- [Robin] Tighter now!
(upbeat rock music)
Let 'er have it right in the middle.
- If that big boulder is half
decent, it's quick money.
(metal clanking)
- [R2] I don't know, she's just goin in.
There she goes.
(rock thuds)
It's interesting.
- [Guy] Yeah.
Not too pretty good.
- No.
- Fractured like there's
no tomorrow.
- [Narrator] Fractures in a boulder
reduce the value significantly.
- Until you see the inside,
you should almost never get excited.
- [Narrator] With Alan and
the buyers on their way soon,
they're hoping there's at least one
solid, jade rock in the bunch.
- It's hard.
It's difficult, it's,
drives me nuts.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] An hour south of Jade City.
Alan and Robin have switched tack.
Instead of going straight to Wolverine,
they bring the Chinese buyers
to their nearby jade claim, Dynasty.
- They needed like a huge
amount of jade supply.
That's why they come here.
They wanna like, see our
hardrock, you know, mining claim.
Their company is huge.
They need a steady supplier.
At least around 1,000 tons every year.
- [Narrator] The Dynasty
mine is a hardrock jade mine.
Last year, they drilled
some nice jade cores here.
- Ha ha!
There's some (beep) jade!
- [Narrator] The jade lies
deep within the bedrock.
It's tough to get at,
but Robin believes the deposit
is large enough to satisfy the buyers.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Robin] Great opportunity
'cause we've already hit jade up here.
- [Alan] Yeah.
- We know the jade is there
because we have the
drill cores to prove it.
It's the cost of getting
it out of the ground here.
That's where the investors
would be really good.
Hardrock mining is expensive.
What it comes down to is the dollars.
- [Narrator] Compared with Wolverine,
it costs twice as much to
mine the hardrock here,
and they have to convince
the buyers that Dynasty
can deliver the quality
they need for gemstones,
and the volume they need for carvings.
- These guys actually know jade,
and they have the money themselves.
But they wanna come and see the evidence
that there is actually
enough jade available.
(speaks in foreign language)
- Before, you know, the
Chinese were only focused
on jewelry level, but
now they are asking like,
you know, different grades of jade.
That's a big potential for us.
(speaks in foreign language)
- They can actually see
the lower quality jade
on the surface and get
excited about going down
after the high quality.
Alan!
There's lighter stuff here.
That more of a green that they're after?
Like right on the top there,
and that clear one there.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] But the buyers
don't seem to be impressed.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Robin] Do they want it?
- [Alan] No, no.
Thank you, Robin.
Thank you.
- They're not interested, so.
It's frustrating but, I know
that there is potential,
and there's guys out there
that want to invest in it.
- [Narrator] With Dynasty
dead in the water,
it's now all up to the crew at Wolverine
to find some jade that
will impress the buyers.
There are two more promising
boulders to be cut,
but there's a problem.
- Generator won't start.
I think the starter is dead,
which is not a good thing.
- [Narrator] Rock cutting has stopped
while Guy tries to figure
out why the starter
on the camp generator isn't working.
(intense music)
- Jumping.
Going direct from the
battery to the starter end.
Phone Robin.
Starter's shot.
- [Claudia] (beep).
- [Narrator] Claudia calls Robin.
She wants him to get to
Wolverine as soon as possible.
- Hey, can you hear me?
The starter just went in our generator.
Our camp has no power.
The generator is everything to us.
We can't do anything.
It doesn't get much worse than this.
- [Guy] I think this is it.
- [Narrator] Robin arrives
ahead of the Chinese buyers
to try and fix the generator.
- [Claudia] So Guy think if
you're gonna fix the generator,
he's gonna be so angry with himself
because he's been tryin' to
figure it out for so long.
- If you do get this bad
boy goin', I'll (beep).
- [Robin] I'm getting lots of sparks!
Not very many though.
Like that battery--
- No, there, no.
Battery's 13 volts, Robin.
There's somethin's (beep) up.
- [Robin] Minus 13.5.
- [Guy] There's 13
everywhere you check man.
- [Robin] 'Kay, starter wire is,
big red one.
- [Claudia] Are you done?
- Yeah, another five minutes,
he'll be just as confused as I am.
- The problem with this thing
is something really
(beep) simple and stupid.
- This is a bad situation
when company's coming!
This is a bad situation
when you're desperate!
- The problem with this thing
is something really
(beep) simple and stupid.
- [Narrator] At Wolverine,
cutting boulders to show Chinese buyers
has taken a backseat to
fixing the camp generator.
- Where's that other battery, Guy?
There's got to be a reason
why this won't start.
- [Guy] Really, the (beep) battery?
(generator rumbling)
- It may have had 12 volts,
but it did not have any amps.
- [Guy] So voltage, no amps?
- 'Cause I tried crossing it here.
There should've been a major spark
and that's why there's no amps.
- Y'know what, I never even
thought of checking the amps.
I'm pissed.
(beep) me.
- [Robin] Pitter patter, get at 'er!
(intense music)
- [Narrator] With the generator fixed,
the crew can get back to cutting boulders.
- [Robin] That one's gonna take a while!
- [Narrator] Alan and the buyers
will arrive in a few hours.
Just enough time for two
more boulders to be cut.
- This day has been a
bit of a dream right now.
That's why everybody's here
right now working together.
- [Robin] Lean it down!
- [Guy] Sit 'er down?
- [Robin] This rock, you cut
that end and see the quality.
- Gotta cut it to sell it, right?
- Yep!
- [Robin] I wanna just
take this end right off.
- [Narrator] There's not
enough time to cut this boulder
straight down the middle,
so Robin decides to slice off a corner,
hoping it will be enough
to entice the buyers
to gamble that the whole
rock is top-quality jade.
- Well right now, the outside looks good.
We'll see as it keeps cutting down.
This particular rock is so
heavy that it'll break even
on our mining season with
no problem, with that rock.
If it's high-quality in that size.
But we'll see once it's cut.
We're all hoping!
- We just need the color, babe!
- [Robin] It's gonna cut
for another half hour.
- [Claudia] Oh, it's gonna
make you suffer, honey!
(rock thuds)
And it's green!
What do you think about those fractures?
- [Narrator] The boulder shows potential,
but because of the fractures,
they can't be sure of the quality.
- [Claudia] And that's jade alright!
- [Robin] We're on the
right track, it's not black.
- Oh my god!
Could get better!
Could get better on the inside!
But that's a really great sign.
Ready, Bub?
- [Narrator] One rock left to check.
The smaller boulder they
cut right down the middle.
(metal clanking)
- [Robin] Sounds good.
- [Claudia] Hercules!
- [Robin] Bionic poopoo!
- [Claudia] The rock, oh god.
- [Robin] Oh!
- God, that's pretty!
Holy (beep)!
Alan's gonna (beep) when he gets here!
Today's the day we should've had beer!
- Ha ha ha!
- The crew is ecstatic, we're ecstatic!
We have something to show the buyers now!
- [Robin] Today was a good day.
- [Narrator] But Robin's not done.
He wants another cut on the big boulder.
- We need to actually
cut it in the middle.
Cut it right through.
Not part way.
- [Narrator] Slicing
the rock down the middle
is the only way to be sure
it's good quality jade
throughout the rock.
(helicopter whirring)
But there's no time for another cut.
Alan and a group of jade buyers
have just arrived at Wolverine.
- Alan has arrived!
The Chinese are here!
And the games begin!
It's never a comfortable feeling
when buyers show up in camp.
Mamma Mia!
Him and his little runners.
I have some boots that they can throw on.
- [Alan] Okay.
- It's absolutely difficult to
know what a jade buyer wants
because they don't tell you the truth.
- [Narrator] The buyers
like to keep a poker face
to better maintain the upper
hand in any negotiations.
Claudia shows them the two rocks they cut
right down the middle.
(speaks in foreign language)
(intense music)
- [Claudia] Here.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Claudia] This one too, on this side.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] Claudia thought
it was their best jade,
but the buyers don't like the color.
Now, there's only one rock left
and with only a small end
of it cut, it's a long shot.
- [Alan] Oh, this a nice one.
(soft rock music)
- [Narrator] At Wolverine,
Claudia and Alan are scrambling.
The best rocks they've found this season
haven't made a good impression
on a group of Chinese buyers.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Alan] This one
probably too black inside.
- [Narrator] There's
only one boulder left,
the big boulder that only
had a corner cut off.
- [Claudia] We're just,
we're able to just,
take a little tiny piece off of this.
Yeah, this one has great potential.
- [Alan] Oh, great.
- We just--
- Hang on!
- Oh, hey!
- Put your peepee
away for a time here.
- This one make me smile!
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Claudia] Okay.
- [Narrator] To the crew's surprise,
the big boulder with just the corner cut
draws the most attention.
The buyers prefer to speculate
on a possible bonanza inside.
- Keep your panties on!
(speaks in foreign language)
- When they were saying
awesome, awesome this is great,
don't cut it again, it was like
okay, they see things that we don't see!
They pick ones that we would never pick!
- From outside you already see
this is like a piece of a pure jade.
But we cut a corner, and it
seems like at least A carving.
And in the middle, probably
you know, jewelry level.
This one is going to be big money.
(speaks in foreign language)
I try to push him to, to buy right now!
If he can buy it!
- [Robin] He likes this one?
- Is it about seven tons?
- I thought we thought a
little bit more than that.
- [Robin] Easy seven!
- [Claudia] Easy, easy seven!
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] If a boulder
is cut down the middle,
it's easier to put a
value on the jade inside.
But if there's just a corner sliced off,
both the buyer and seller are gambling
on what may be further inside the rock.
- [Claudia] If he is
serious and he does want it,
now we take a big gamble!
- [Alan] I told him, at least,
a $100 per kilo.
- Yeah.
- And if this one sells
seven tons valuable,
we have $700,000, so.
- Yeah, but what happens if
it's grade A in the middle,
if it's worth $1,000 a kilo?
- Yeah.
- We take a gamble, right?
- Yeah.
- This is the tough part now,
when they come here and
they see it like this.
'Cause now we haven't cut it to prove,
maybe it's (beep) in the middle.
Maybe it's great in the middle.
Now we don't know.
- [Alan] Yeah, this is a pretty nice one!
- Yeah.
- Way better
than the other one.
- Yeah, yeah.
- If you wanna like, keep gamble,
probably make one more cut.
If like a grade A,
probably $1,000 per kilo.
- Is it worth a million and a half?
Is it worth 700,000?
Do you cut it again?
Me and Alan are just
thinking the same thing.
Sell it for 700,000 and take our chances.
(laughing)
(speaks in foreign language)
- Okay, he going to keep it.
- Really?
He said don't cut it anymore.
(speaks in foreign language)
(laughing)
Thank you very much.
Thank you!
We've been mining for four years
and I think now we got a return.
This is a turn.
- [Narrator] For some
buyers, a raw chunk of jade
in their house is like a work of art.
- Some Chinese, they
wanna put like put a rock
in their lobby, in their
house, in their yard.
They don't want you to
polish and cut anything.
They have a big stone in their
house they can depend on.
They feel safe.
- We sold jade!
Big jade!
Just not little jade,
it's a really big jade!
Yeah, we might have to pay
some taxes this year, I think!
(laughing)
- [Narrator] Just one more sale like this
and the whole operation will break even.
(Robin and Claudia babbling)
- [Robin] Ah, oh, ah!
Geechi!
- [Narrator] Next time on "Jade Fever".
- [Claudia] That's disgusting! (laughs)
- [Robin] All of the
rain, it's mud everywhere!
(engine revving)
- For (beep) sake!
I wrecked my new outfit!
- [Josh] Aw (beep) dude!
I gotta get this thing outta here now!
Ah!
I'm in way over my head here now!
- [Man] I haven't got
my life jacket with me.
- Holy (beep).
Whoa!
(engine revving)
(beep) it's tipping!
- [Man] People get stuck in weird places!
(intense rock music)
- Oh my God!
Up here near the Yukon in Jade City,
we've got the world's richest
deposits of nephrite jade,
and the Chinese want it.
(laughing)
- This is gonna be the
million-dollar rock.
- Now, we just have to find it.
(cheering)
I will dig 'til my hands bleed.
Woo, go!
Jade makes people do crazy things.
(laughing)
(thunder rumbling)
- [Narrator] It's a soggy day
at the Bunce's jade mine, Wolverine.
- Today, we're going to
go down and check out
where Guy was digging.
- [Narrator] A few days
ago, they started mining
in a new area of the
claim in northern D.C..
- [Guy] This side here is
all full of big boulders.
- [Narrator] Now with a
second excavator at site,
mining has kicked into high gear.
- Every time they find a jade boulder,
they better do the fist bump!
- [Narrator] Halfway through
their 100-day season,
and Claudia's hoping her father Steve
has put them back on track to find jade.
- See that green over there?
That's where you go look for jade.
About 90% chance there's jade there.
See, this is the area I would dig.
I just smell something there.
The old nose worked for me.
- We've already proven
jade's on the property,
but the little bits here and there,
it just isn't enough to keep mining.
You've got to be a better miner,
you gotta find me way more jade!
- If it's here, and I dig it up, yeah.
No problem, that's easy.
- [Narrator] After days of
digging in the new area,
it's time to see what they've found.
- [Claudia] Okay, couldn't we
mine a little closer to camp?
- [Guy] We've been mining close to camp,
and what have we found?
- If we don't find any jade this summer,
I can't see my partners
backing me any more.
Wow, that looks different!
(metal chinking)
- [Man] I like the
outside look of this one!
- [Guy] Paint it!
(spray paint hissing)
- [Robin] This one looks actually
pretty, freakin' good.
- Yeah, I think it is.
- [Claudia] Wow.
This little area right here is just clear.
- [Narrator] Robin uses a hammer
to help narrow down their selection.
(spray paint hissing)
(metal chinking)
If a boulder is jade,
the ping from the hammer
will ring metallic.
- This is totally different than anything
that we've mined in Wolverine so far.
- [Robin] Look at that green there!
- [Guy] This guy's green.
- [Claudia] Oh God, you guys,
please don't get me too excited.
I say we each pick one,
and we take 'em and try 'em.
- [Man In Orange] This is my one.
- That's your one?
I like this one.
But it's gonna be too big.
That one?
- [Man In Orange] No, it's not too big.
- [Guy] Okay, I pick this one.
- Robin's turn.
Is this your rock?
- [Robin] Right here.
- [Guy] You don't really
have to paint this one,
Robin, it kind of sticks
out like a sore thumb.
- [Claudia] Look at this green right here.
- [Robin] Well, all of it,
look at it, it's everywhere.
It's all over it.
- Yeah, but...
- [Robin] Right here, see?
- [R2] Is one this big like that one?
- [Guy] That would pay for the summer.
- [Robin] Then we got
some money happenin'.
- [Claudia] You guys,
we're gotta start cutting
'cause I'm gonna have a heart attack.
- [Narrator] Devin brings the
chosen boulders to the saws
so they can be cut open.
- [Claudia] So now it's cut, cut and cut.
I'm lookin' for the green jade.
- This is the one that looks like it
could have some good potential in it,
so we'll cut 'er today and find out.
(rocks thudding)
- [Narrator] But before
they can get started,
Claudia gets some surprising news.
- [Claudia] Robin!
- [Robin] What's that?
- Alan just phoned from
the Vancouver Airport.
- Mm-hm?
- He is coming with six people.
- [Robin] Right now?
- Six Chinese.
- [Narrator] Claudia and
Robin's partner, Alan,
has been in China drumming up business.
This time, he's bringing
the jade customers
right to the source.
(speaks in foreign language)
- We're in the middle of season
and we don't have very much jade yet.
We're not ready for the buyers to show up.
- We're mining for so long
and they totally ignore us
and no communication and then,
I'll be in Jade City tonight
and I'm bringing six people.
And he does this every single time.
They never give us any
time to get organized.
With the buyers coming out,
we have to have something to sell to them,
and something that we're
proud to sell to them.
(helicopter engine whirring)
- [Narrator] Robin and
Claudia leave for Jade City
immediately to prepare for Alan's arrival.
That leaves Guy and R2
to cut as many boulders
as possible before Alan
arrives with the buyers.
- If you tell me there's buyers comin',
I'm goin' someone should've called me
'cause we got 'no jade.
Why bring a buyer?
- [Narrator] The first boulder to be cut
is the one Robin chose, but
it's too big for the rock saw.
- I'm not excited one
bit to use this thing.
- [Narrator] Boulders
too big for the blade
are cut with the wire saw.
A long, diamond studded
chain runs across the boulder
and shreds its way through.
It's a time consuming process
that needs constant supervision.
- The chain pulls the motor back
so we have to inch our way back,
but if you do it too much and it catches,
everything flips and breaks
so you gotta be real
careful with this one.
Gotta have the right tension on it.
- So someone has to be
here to turn the wheel
about 1/8 of a turn every few minutes.
- [Guy] Hey, Who's the poor bastard
who's gonna do this all day?
- [R2] This is gonna get old really quick!
(saw whirring)
(birds chirping)
(soft intense music)
- [Narrator] Over in Jade City,
Alan arrives with his guests from China.
- Hey, Robin, Claudia!
- Hey.
- [Narrator] Alan's got
big news for his partners,
Claudia and Robin.
- [Claudia] Of course, hello.
- Mister Muo, he wanna go
in to check out our claim
because he has like a big investment plan.
- [Narrator] To help fill the
high demand for jade in China,
these prospective buyers are looking
for a steady supply of jade.
- The Chinese government,
they wanna like, have a
special area for jade carving.
I think about like
1,000 to 3,000 tons jade
every year for carving.
- [Narrator] It's an
even bigger opportunity
than they expected, but right now,
they have almost nothing
to show them at Wolverine.
At the mine, after four hours of cutting,
Guy and R2 are ready to
crack open the big boulder.
- [Robin] Tighter now!
(upbeat rock music)
Let 'er have it right in the middle.
- If that big boulder is half
decent, it's quick money.
(metal clanking)
- [R2] I don't know, she's just goin in.
There she goes.
(rock thuds)
It's interesting.
- [Guy] Yeah.
Not too pretty good.
- No.
- Fractured like there's
no tomorrow.
- [Narrator] Fractures in a boulder
reduce the value significantly.
- Until you see the inside,
you should almost never get excited.
- [Narrator] With Alan and
the buyers on their way soon,
they're hoping there's at least one
solid, jade rock in the bunch.
- It's hard.
It's difficult, it's,
drives me nuts.
(gentle music)
- [Narrator] An hour south of Jade City.
Alan and Robin have switched tack.
Instead of going straight to Wolverine,
they bring the Chinese buyers
to their nearby jade claim, Dynasty.
- They needed like a huge
amount of jade supply.
That's why they come here.
They wanna like, see our
hardrock, you know, mining claim.
Their company is huge.
They need a steady supplier.
At least around 1,000 tons every year.
- [Narrator] The Dynasty
mine is a hardrock jade mine.
Last year, they drilled
some nice jade cores here.
- Ha ha!
There's some (beep) jade!
- [Narrator] The jade lies
deep within the bedrock.
It's tough to get at,
but Robin believes the deposit
is large enough to satisfy the buyers.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Robin] Great opportunity
'cause we've already hit jade up here.
- [Alan] Yeah.
- We know the jade is there
because we have the
drill cores to prove it.
It's the cost of getting
it out of the ground here.
That's where the investors
would be really good.
Hardrock mining is expensive.
What it comes down to is the dollars.
- [Narrator] Compared with Wolverine,
it costs twice as much to
mine the hardrock here,
and they have to convince
the buyers that Dynasty
can deliver the quality
they need for gemstones,
and the volume they need for carvings.
- These guys actually know jade,
and they have the money themselves.
But they wanna come and see the evidence
that there is actually
enough jade available.
(speaks in foreign language)
- Before, you know, the
Chinese were only focused
on jewelry level, but
now they are asking like,
you know, different grades of jade.
That's a big potential for us.
(speaks in foreign language)
- They can actually see
the lower quality jade
on the surface and get
excited about going down
after the high quality.
Alan!
There's lighter stuff here.
That more of a green that they're after?
Like right on the top there,
and that clear one there.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] But the buyers
don't seem to be impressed.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Robin] Do they want it?
- [Alan] No, no.
Thank you, Robin.
Thank you.
- They're not interested, so.
It's frustrating but, I know
that there is potential,
and there's guys out there
that want to invest in it.
- [Narrator] With Dynasty
dead in the water,
it's now all up to the crew at Wolverine
to find some jade that
will impress the buyers.
There are two more promising
boulders to be cut,
but there's a problem.
- Generator won't start.
I think the starter is dead,
which is not a good thing.
- [Narrator] Rock cutting has stopped
while Guy tries to figure
out why the starter
on the camp generator isn't working.
(intense music)
- Jumping.
Going direct from the
battery to the starter end.
Phone Robin.
Starter's shot.
- [Claudia] (beep).
- [Narrator] Claudia calls Robin.
She wants him to get to
Wolverine as soon as possible.
- Hey, can you hear me?
The starter just went in our generator.
Our camp has no power.
The generator is everything to us.
We can't do anything.
It doesn't get much worse than this.
- [Guy] I think this is it.
- [Narrator] Robin arrives
ahead of the Chinese buyers
to try and fix the generator.
- [Claudia] So Guy think if
you're gonna fix the generator,
he's gonna be so angry with himself
because he's been tryin' to
figure it out for so long.
- If you do get this bad
boy goin', I'll (beep).
- [Robin] I'm getting lots of sparks!
Not very many though.
Like that battery--
- No, there, no.
Battery's 13 volts, Robin.
There's somethin's (beep) up.
- [Robin] Minus 13.5.
- [Guy] There's 13
everywhere you check man.
- [Robin] 'Kay, starter wire is,
big red one.
- [Claudia] Are you done?
- Yeah, another five minutes,
he'll be just as confused as I am.
- The problem with this thing
is something really
(beep) simple and stupid.
- This is a bad situation
when company's coming!
This is a bad situation
when you're desperate!
- The problem with this thing
is something really
(beep) simple and stupid.
- [Narrator] At Wolverine,
cutting boulders to show Chinese buyers
has taken a backseat to
fixing the camp generator.
- Where's that other battery, Guy?
There's got to be a reason
why this won't start.
- [Guy] Really, the (beep) battery?
(generator rumbling)
- It may have had 12 volts,
but it did not have any amps.
- [Guy] So voltage, no amps?
- 'Cause I tried crossing it here.
There should've been a major spark
and that's why there's no amps.
- Y'know what, I never even
thought of checking the amps.
I'm pissed.
(beep) me.
- [Robin] Pitter patter, get at 'er!
(intense music)
- [Narrator] With the generator fixed,
the crew can get back to cutting boulders.
- [Robin] That one's gonna take a while!
- [Narrator] Alan and the buyers
will arrive in a few hours.
Just enough time for two
more boulders to be cut.
- This day has been a
bit of a dream right now.
That's why everybody's here
right now working together.
- [Robin] Lean it down!
- [Guy] Sit 'er down?
- [Robin] This rock, you cut
that end and see the quality.
- Gotta cut it to sell it, right?
- Yep!
- [Robin] I wanna just
take this end right off.
- [Narrator] There's not
enough time to cut this boulder
straight down the middle,
so Robin decides to slice off a corner,
hoping it will be enough
to entice the buyers
to gamble that the whole
rock is top-quality jade.
- Well right now, the outside looks good.
We'll see as it keeps cutting down.
This particular rock is so
heavy that it'll break even
on our mining season with
no problem, with that rock.
If it's high-quality in that size.
But we'll see once it's cut.
We're all hoping!
- We just need the color, babe!
- [Robin] It's gonna cut
for another half hour.
- [Claudia] Oh, it's gonna
make you suffer, honey!
(rock thuds)
And it's green!
What do you think about those fractures?
- [Narrator] The boulder shows potential,
but because of the fractures,
they can't be sure of the quality.
- [Claudia] And that's jade alright!
- [Robin] We're on the
right track, it's not black.
- Oh my god!
Could get better!
Could get better on the inside!
But that's a really great sign.
Ready, Bub?
- [Narrator] One rock left to check.
The smaller boulder they
cut right down the middle.
(metal clanking)
- [Robin] Sounds good.
- [Claudia] Hercules!
- [Robin] Bionic poopoo!
- [Claudia] The rock, oh god.
- [Robin] Oh!
- God, that's pretty!
Holy (beep)!
Alan's gonna (beep) when he gets here!
Today's the day we should've had beer!
- Ha ha ha!
- The crew is ecstatic, we're ecstatic!
We have something to show the buyers now!
- [Robin] Today was a good day.
- [Narrator] But Robin's not done.
He wants another cut on the big boulder.
- We need to actually
cut it in the middle.
Cut it right through.
Not part way.
- [Narrator] Slicing
the rock down the middle
is the only way to be sure
it's good quality jade
throughout the rock.
(helicopter whirring)
But there's no time for another cut.
Alan and a group of jade buyers
have just arrived at Wolverine.
- Alan has arrived!
The Chinese are here!
And the games begin!
It's never a comfortable feeling
when buyers show up in camp.
Mamma Mia!
Him and his little runners.
I have some boots that they can throw on.
- [Alan] Okay.
- It's absolutely difficult to
know what a jade buyer wants
because they don't tell you the truth.
- [Narrator] The buyers
like to keep a poker face
to better maintain the upper
hand in any negotiations.
Claudia shows them the two rocks they cut
right down the middle.
(speaks in foreign language)
(intense music)
- [Claudia] Here.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Claudia] This one too, on this side.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] Claudia thought
it was their best jade,
but the buyers don't like the color.
Now, there's only one rock left
and with only a small end
of it cut, it's a long shot.
- [Alan] Oh, this a nice one.
(soft rock music)
- [Narrator] At Wolverine,
Claudia and Alan are scrambling.
The best rocks they've found this season
haven't made a good impression
on a group of Chinese buyers.
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Alan] This one
probably too black inside.
- [Narrator] There's
only one boulder left,
the big boulder that only
had a corner cut off.
- [Claudia] We're just,
we're able to just,
take a little tiny piece off of this.
Yeah, this one has great potential.
- [Alan] Oh, great.
- We just--
- Hang on!
- Oh, hey!
- Put your peepee
away for a time here.
- This one make me smile!
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Claudia] Okay.
- [Narrator] To the crew's surprise,
the big boulder with just the corner cut
draws the most attention.
The buyers prefer to speculate
on a possible bonanza inside.
- Keep your panties on!
(speaks in foreign language)
- When they were saying
awesome, awesome this is great,
don't cut it again, it was like
okay, they see things that we don't see!
They pick ones that we would never pick!
- From outside you already see
this is like a piece of a pure jade.
But we cut a corner, and it
seems like at least A carving.
And in the middle, probably
you know, jewelry level.
This one is going to be big money.
(speaks in foreign language)
I try to push him to, to buy right now!
If he can buy it!
- [Robin] He likes this one?
- Is it about seven tons?
- I thought we thought a
little bit more than that.
- [Robin] Easy seven!
- [Claudia] Easy, easy seven!
(speaks in foreign language)
- [Narrator] If a boulder
is cut down the middle,
it's easier to put a
value on the jade inside.
But if there's just a corner sliced off,
both the buyer and seller are gambling
on what may be further inside the rock.
- [Claudia] If he is
serious and he does want it,
now we take a big gamble!
- [Alan] I told him, at least,
a $100 per kilo.
- Yeah.
- And if this one sells
seven tons valuable,
we have $700,000, so.
- Yeah, but what happens if
it's grade A in the middle,
if it's worth $1,000 a kilo?
- Yeah.
- We take a gamble, right?
- Yeah.
- This is the tough part now,
when they come here and
they see it like this.
'Cause now we haven't cut it to prove,
maybe it's (beep) in the middle.
Maybe it's great in the middle.
Now we don't know.
- [Alan] Yeah, this is a pretty nice one!
- Yeah.
- Way better
than the other one.
- Yeah, yeah.
- If you wanna like, keep gamble,
probably make one more cut.
If like a grade A,
probably $1,000 per kilo.
- Is it worth a million and a half?
Is it worth 700,000?
Do you cut it again?
Me and Alan are just
thinking the same thing.
Sell it for 700,000 and take our chances.
(laughing)
(speaks in foreign language)
- Okay, he going to keep it.
- Really?
He said don't cut it anymore.
(speaks in foreign language)
(laughing)
Thank you very much.
Thank you!
We've been mining for four years
and I think now we got a return.
This is a turn.
- [Narrator] For some
buyers, a raw chunk of jade
in their house is like a work of art.
- Some Chinese, they
wanna put like put a rock
in their lobby, in their
house, in their yard.
They don't want you to
polish and cut anything.
They have a big stone in their
house they can depend on.
They feel safe.
- We sold jade!
Big jade!
Just not little jade,
it's a really big jade!
Yeah, we might have to pay
some taxes this year, I think!
(laughing)
- [Narrator] Just one more sale like this
and the whole operation will break even.
(Robin and Claudia babbling)
- [Robin] Ah, oh, ah!
Geechi!
- [Narrator] Next time on "Jade Fever".
- [Claudia] That's disgusting! (laughs)
- [Robin] All of the
rain, it's mud everywhere!
(engine revving)
- For (beep) sake!
I wrecked my new outfit!
- [Josh] Aw (beep) dude!
I gotta get this thing outta here now!
Ah!
I'm in way over my head here now!
- [Man] I haven't got
my life jacket with me.
- Holy (beep).
Whoa!
(engine revving)
(beep) it's tipping!
- [Man] People get stuck in weird places!