Jade patch that is… found about 9 pounds of olive green nephrite
Enjoy, I know I will!
Wow…I’m a little surprised you can find Jade in Wyoming. I know they mine it in BC.
That’s awesome!
edit: OK…a little google informs me everytime. 
Wyoming Jade. 
so what do you do with it?
Hoard it…or not. There is a market for it and things made from it… ???
These are things I made
Make a tap!
Good Idea and do-able 
Jade tap handles-very cool idea!
Even Jade inlays… ;D
What do you use to grind it to your desired shape?
That sculpture was done using a Foredom Flex Shaft and Diamond points…similar to a dentists arsenal.
The lapidary grinding and polishing and buffing Is accomplished with a progression of Silicon Carbide
Grits like 100 >>220>>>400>>>600>>>1200>>>>then polish steps
Wheels,belts and Water for cooling…the polishing is done with things like aluminum oxide,
Cerium Oxide , linde polish… using a slurry of water and a rapidly spinning moist leather pad…
Some opt for diamond impregnated pastes to walk thru to the polish…and for good reason.
You must clean in between grit progressions else you will contaminate your work and ruinate it…
.
Looks like you have all of the equipment. Sounds fun and nice job.
While I can grind, polish and shine, I lack the artistic skills to make anything that looks like something. I would start with a big rock and end up with dust. 
[quote author=“Jack Handy”]I remember how my Great Uncle Jerry would sit on the porch and whittle all day long. Once he whittled me a toy boat out of a larger toy boat I had. It was almost as good as the first one, except now it had bumpy whittle marks all over it. And no paint, because he had whittled off the paint.
[/quote]
Thanks Tom. I needed that giggle…
Bump
Got some kewl pix today of some top quality jade from this area…
me sitting on top of a 2700lb boulder of Jade
Some REAL REAL nice specimens…
Pretty sweet! I missed this thread the first time. Cool stuff you made. Ever do that tap handle? That is a really sweet idea.
Careful there 1v. You can get the piles sitting on cold rocks. :o
Thanks, I was safe it was in the 90’s and jade is a thermal reservoir.
You have some nice work 1verticle. And lucky enough to be near such nice stone to be able to go out and collect it. Only thing around me seems to be shale, limestone, and some sandstone. My Grandfather taught me lapidary when I was a kid. Currently I have a small diamond lap set that can do basic cabs and a couple sets of diamond points. Haven’t made anything in a few years though.
Cool pics. I love how even your house is jade! 8)
All we have around here is basalt, basalt, and more basalt… occasionally some olivine phenocrysts thrown in for good measure.
But talk about a thermo reservoir! ;) And it does take on some amazing shapes.