Incredible Wyoming Nephrite Jade Pseudomorphs
Wyoming Nephrite Pseudomorphs
Interesting Jade Anomalies
Bizarre Pseudomorphs In Wyoming Nephrite Of Differing Ages
An absolutely unique slab of Wyoming Nephrite Jade, showing extremely old, and continuing to ‘morph’, ”frog skin” pseudomorphs, along with newer inclusions that are starting their transformation to becoming full pseudomorphs, and quartz crystals near the rind that are just beginning the transformation. We purchased this wonderful specimen from the John Snook Collection, who is a member of one of the foremost old Wyoming Jade ‘families’ and who has been exposed to, and has viewed some of the most extensive collections of Wyoming Nephrite Jades in existence. John has been involved in Wyoming Nephrite Jade since the early age of 12 when he first started to help his father, a hard-rock miner, with his mining operations. John also started to work jade at that time; he finished and sold his first piece when he was only 12 years old, 48 years ago. John has seen jade from a perspective that very few of us have ever experienced, and handled too many pieces to count; from surface boulders to the remaining vein deposits he still works today. With this knowledge, we have asked him to comment on this article in the future and tell us something about the unique area in which this fantastic specimen was found, and any other pertinent information he would like to share.
An Incredible Amount Of Activity in One Stone
Far and away the most common, “frog skin” pseudomorphs can found in the beginning article of this series, showcasing pseudomorphs in Nephrite Jades, and showing the familiar oval-to-rounded, green to grey/green spots in different transformation stages as deposits within the nephrite. Other photos show different ‘fully morphed’ crystals, and in one unique article in this series is the familiar gray/green spots with some of the frog-skins surrounded by a red band, and some totally stupendous red spots for which there is currently no known explanation. Then we have an article showing obvious pseudomorphs extending from an extremely rare Botryoidal Nephrite which are connected to, and surrounded by, differing matrices. Now we have this incredible specimen that shows what we believe to be further anomalies occurring inside nephrite jade that rarely, if ever, get the proper attention of serious study from the scientific community at large. This wonderful specimen shows, upon examination with the naked eye alone, a unique and varying structure, which draws us constantly back to the question of what is the true nature of nephrite, and the fact that this ”Stone of Heaven” will continue to resist attempts to “pigeon hole” it into a category of gems that is concise and precise in nature. Under the microscope this specimen comes alive in the differing activity that appears to be a continuing evolution of the stone from its origination millions of years ago to today, where it is obvious to us that changes are still occurring.
Above Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi
In the photographs above it can be clearly discerned the tremendous amount of activity that has occurred during the stone’s long history. The extremely tight-fibered, dark olive to black portions of the stone are the original Nephrite that at one time most likely held the familiar clear, rounded frog skin pseudomorphs that have continued to morph into their present state, and look much like a galaxy of stars, which we will see more closely in the following photographs. In the first picture we can easily identify a wide inclusion from a later period; the light green line coursing through the stone diagonally, and in one spot encasing a piece of the original nephrite. In the second picture we can see the inclusion of material surrounding newer and larger pseudomorphs transforming in the “mother-stone”. In the third picture we can see how the inclusion formed around the outside as it cooled around the mother-stone. I can only assume this inclusion to be an igneous activity that occurred in, and around, the mother-stone while it was on its long journey to the surface, and that it is most likely of a quartz material, as it too is slowly going through the morphing process, along with the rest of the stone. I believe it had to have occurred under a circumstance of massive heat and pressure to have split the original nephrite and left such an inclusion of material as seen in this marvelous example.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi and Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x at 2x
Throughout these photos, we see fractures running off and along the sides of the inclusions. While speaking with Peter Shilling of Taking Form Jade this past week, Peter mentioned to me that it is believed that the fractures that are often associated with, and radiating out from “trapped” quartz crystals in nephrite jade, could be a result of differing stages in the development of the quartz crystals. Peter said he had read somewhere of Alpha & Beta stages in a quartz crystal’s ‘lifespan’ that involve relatively large fluctuations of the crystal’s size, which could account for the high degree fracturing seen in this specimen running along the edges and radiating outward from the inclusion. These fractures are traceable by the naked eye and under microscopic conditions to the outside edges of the piece, and without much doubt account for the oxidizing effect we see along the edges of the inclusion, as water seeped in and the iron-rich nephrite started its degradation. If any of our readers have additional information about these fascinating Alpha & Beta stages, a comment would be much appreciated by ourselves and others.
Photo Taken With Canon EOS XSi & Canon Macro Lens MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x at 2x
In the photo above ( as in the second photo), we can clearly see the morphing inclusion that surrounds a large old pseudomorph inside the more tightly fibered original nephrite stone. There is also an area that has been devastated by a physical shock of some nature in its past, as the iron oxide discoloration stops at the natural joint in one of the unusual pseudomorphs. This degraded area extends all the way to the skin, and was caused by the original shattering of a portion of the stone that has left the rough area we see here extending outwards to the rind. Water could find its way into the shattered portion, and turned this entire section of the old pseudomorph rust-red with oxidation. We can still discern the inclusion around the damaged pseudomorph, as well as the remaining hard areas of the older pseudomorph, seen as darker lines inside the inclusions.
Oldest Frog Skins Spots Taken with Canon EOS XSi at 30X Microscopic Power
This picture is of one of the old frog skin spots in the blacker nephrite mother-stone, and can be seen in the first photograph of this article; it is the one that is 1/4″ above the “bumb” in the diagonal line inclusion that surrounds a piece of the original stone. While many of the original spots have continued to morph into the more grey-green to black spots we see over the rough, saw- cut areas of the stone, this spot shows (as do many others) the original green core material which was most likely at one time the more common, easily identifiable, and well known frog skin spots so often found in Wyoming Nephrite Jade. Here one can easily discern the nephritic fiber patterns of this particular portion of the stone, and readily see the transference of iron ions as the mostly-black original stone “invades” the frog skin more, and the lighter green (most likely quartz in nature) diffuses outward to give that ‘galactic’ look to the areas.
Photo Of Inclusion Taken With Canon EOS XSI at 30X Microscopic Power
A wonderful photo showing a portion of the ”bump” (in reverse) in the diagonal inclusion from the first photograph. In this photo, we can see the original blackish nephrite as the darkest portion to the right of the picture (the whitish streaks are reflected light on the saw cut marks). The yellow/green inclusion with its oxidized outer edge is easily discerned in the center of the photograph, and to the left we can see the piece of broken-off and then surrounded mother-stone. The spots inside this surrounded piece of the mother-stone are minute pseudomorphs with tiny rings of the same inclusion material around them.
Photo Of Inclusion Taken With Canon EOS Xsi at 30X Microscopic Power
This photo is of the exact same area on the diagonal line with the “bump”; this time showing the mother-stone nephrite on the left side of the photo, the inclusion in the middle, and the broken-off and surrounded piece of mother-stone to the right. In the bottom right portion of this section of the inclusion can be faintly seen a small crystalline pseudomorph to the left of the darkest area of the broken-off and surround piece. Also of note is the minute cracking that shows up on the left side of the inclusion, which has allowed water to get in and start the oxidation process.
All in all this is one wonderful section of a phenomenal Wyoming Nephrite Jade, and shows the complexity that nephrite can take on through the millions of years since its initial formation. Wyoming jades in particular show tremendous variation with each new specimen we examine, as I believe they should, being considered the oldest of the true Nephrites on the planet by such authorities as George E. Harlow of the American Natural History Museum in New York, and Sorena S. Sorensen of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Museum.
David Fredericks – Yulongwei
Thanks for the kind comments David. Without a doubt, this is one of the oddest pieces of jade I ever seen. The story behind this jade is that it was not found as loose float, but was found in situ, imbedded in a black dike. If you ever travel through the central Wyoming area, numerous such seams of black diorite rock can be seen cutting through precambrian outcrops known as the Granite Mountains. These black dikes are where veins of black jade can occur. However, this particular deposit was quite a disappointment for my father, Robert, who found it. Imagine finding an outcrop of jade, and then the sum total of the find is a single 30 lb. chunk, a few scraps, and that’s it. When you’re prospecting for veins at least a pickup load or so of easy to load float is more what you’re hoping for.
It was still an enjoyable day of rock hunting hunting though, and at least something was found, rather than nothing, which is the norm. The Pathfinder Lake area, where this was found, seems especially prone to having small deposits of little consequence, compared to other jade producing areas. One spot we found consisted of about 3 tubes of high quality black running through a boulder of black diorite, total weight- about 4 lbs.