1.75" H X 1.25" W X .5" D

Wyoming Jade is nephrite. Sinkankas (1959) considered Wyoming Jade to be some of the finest nephrite in the world, against which material from all other deposits must be compared.

Nephrite is a calcium magnesium silicate varying in composition from actinolite to tremolite. Variations in chemistry are responsible for a wide range of colors extending from white to black, with rare occurrences of blue and off-white. However, most common nephrite jade is of varying shades of green such as apple, emerald, leaf, and olive. The green color results from the presence of reduced iron, with varying contributions from other elements.

The translucent jade window (to the right) at the North Shore Baptist Church, in Chicago, Illinois, illustrates some of the colors found in Wyoming Jade. The window, 6.5 ft hight by 3.5 ft wide and dedicated in 1952, was made for the church by James L. Kraft, president of the Kraft Foods Company in Chicago. The jade came primarily from Wyoming, with the wide variety of greens, blues, and other unusual colors of jade resulting from years of searching across the central part of the state by Mr. & Mrs. Allan Branham of Lander, Wyoming. Some of the jade came from Alaska, Arizona, and California.

OPAL Triplet: The Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica and because of its amorphous character, it is classed as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of silica, which are classed as minerals. It is deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the fissures of almost any kind of rock, being most commonly found with limonite, sandstone, rhyolite, marl, and basalt. Opal is the national gemstone of Australia. It enhances self worth, confidence and self-esteem, and helps you to understand your full potential. It also brings lightness and spontaneity. The stone is said to help stimulate originality and dynamic creativity, encourages an interest in the arts, and aids in accessing one’s true self. Because the stone is absorbent and reflective, it helps you to pick up thoughts and feelings, amplify them, and return them to their source. It is a karmic stone- it encourages putting out positive emotions and teaches that what you put out comes back to you. The opal is also a representative of justice and harmony, and is a protective stone in dangerous places.
Opal triplets combine natural opal with layers of other materials. A thin slice of natural opal is assembled between a slice of black onyx and a glass top that protects the natural opal.