Wyoming Jade Takes the Spotlight at Casper College’s Humanities Festival |
Renee Stewart opened GLAM Exhibit Day with a closer look at Wyoming’s official state gemstone, blending geology, history, local lore and the practical art of finding jade in the wild. |
Some of Wyoming’s most fascinating stories are hidden in plain sight, sometimes tucked beneath the landscape in a piece of stone that might look ordinary at first glance.
Today, Wyoming jade took center stage at Casper College as Renee Stewart presented a special lecture during the college’s 41st Humanities Festival. Stewart, a professional jeweler, Casper College geology volunteer and current president of the Natrona County Rockhounds Club, opened the festival’s GLAM Exhibit Day with a presentation exploring the history, character and enduring appeal of Wyoming’s state gemstone.
The presentation fit naturally into this year’s festival theme, “The West: Past, Present, and Future,” bringing together the scientific, cultural and historical sides of a gemstone that has long held a place in Wyoming’s identity.
For those unfamiliar with Wyoming jade, the presentation offered a fascinating introduction. For longtime collectors and rockhounds, it provided an opportunity to look more closely at the qualities that make the stone so distinctive.
Wyoming nephrite jade can appear in a striking range of colors, from lighter translucent greens to deeper green and nearly black material. Its patterns and internal structure can vary as well, giving individual pieces their own character and making the process of discovering and collecting them part of the appeal.
But jade is not simply interesting because of how it looks.
Its story is tied to Wyoming’s own history.
Stewart explored the period often associated with Wyoming’s “Jade Rush,” when interest in the gemstone surged during the 1930s and central Wyoming became an important destination for people searching for valuable specimens.
That history has accumulated plenty of stories along the way, including tales of prized stones, famous thefts and the colorful characters who became part of Wyoming’s rockhounding lore.
For a hobby built around picking up rocks from the ground, there is a surprising amount of history attached to what people find.
The presentation also moved from history into practical knowledge, giving amateur rockhounds insight into what to look for when searching for jade outdoors.
Learning to recognize promising material can be part science and part experience. Natural surfaces, weathering patterns and the appearance of a stone can offer clues, while understanding the difference between jade and look-alike materials such as green serpentine and quartzite can help an inexperienced collector know what they have found.
That practical side makes the subject especially accessible.
You do not have to be a professional geologist to become curious about the rocks around you. A hike, a roadside stop or a day exploring Wyoming’s open spaces can become the beginning of a new hobby when you start paying attention to what is beneath your feet.
Stewart’s presentation also reflected the connection between collecting and craftsmanship. As a jeweler, she brings an artistic perspective to a material that already carries its own natural beauty. A rough piece of jade can move from being a geological specimen to becoming something intentionally shaped, polished and appreciated as art.
That intersection of science and creativity makes jade a fitting topic for a Humanities Festival.
And it was only the beginning of the day.
Following Stewart’s presentation, GLAM Exhibit Day continued with additional sessions exploring Wyoming and the West through collections, history, science, conservation and creative work. The schedule included a look at the making of a beaver top hat, the famous Bone Wars, conservation work at the Western History Center, the Casper College Herbarium, and the role of beavers in ecosystems.
Together, the presentations offered different ways of looking at the same larger idea: the West is not simply something preserved in the past. It is something people continue to study, interpret and shape today.
Wyoming jade fits perfectly into that conversation.
It connects the land to the people who have searched it, the history of the region to the collectors who continue the tradition, and natural science to the artists who transform what they find into something that can be admired for generations.
Sometimes, understanding a place begins with looking closely at one small part of it.
Today at Casper College, that small part happened to be jade.
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I'd go to a hands-on jade identification class.
Imagine finding jade and thinking it's ordinary stone.
Tate Museum folks always make rocks interesting.
They have a wonderful way of sparking curiosity about what’s beneath our feet. We’re grateful to the Tate Geological Museum for the photo.
The Natrona County Rockhounds Club sounds like a good place for beginners to learn.
The Herbarium session caught my eye.
Turning a rough piece of jade into jewelry takes some real patience.
Would've liked to hear more about the actual jade specimens.
Now I'm eyeing every rock on my walks.
Glad the festival included local geology.
Amber WellsAgreed. The rocks around here have some good stories behind them.
The beaver ecosystem session would've been my pick, honestly.
I've walked past plenty of plain-looking rocks around Casper. Now I'll look closer.
Finding real jade isn't as easy as it sounds.
My mom still wears her Wyoming jade ring.
What a lovely family connection to Wyoming jade. A piece like that carries a story well beyond the stone itself.
Nice that the 41st festival is still finding local subjects to explore.
The Bone Wars session sounds fun too.
Sam K.That one caught my eye too. Did you get to attend it?
I'd like to see a photo of serpentine and jade side by side.
Bone Wars and Wyoming jade in one day is a pretty good lineup.
Was there a way to see the jade presentation if you missed it?
We haven’t seen a recording listed. Casper College or the Tate Geological Museum may be able to tell you whether one is available.
Owen BakerI missed it too. Maybe the college or the Tate Museum can tell us if it was recorded.
My kids would enjoy learning how to spot jade look-alikes.
I always thought Wyoming jade was just green.
I always thought jade was bright green. Nearly black is news to me.
Are there rules about collecting jade on public land?
Renee knows both the rocks and the jewelry. Pretty cool.
Green quartzite has fooled me more than once.
Mark D.I've brought home a few green rocks that turned out to be quartzite. Still pretty, though.
You’re not alone, quartzite is one of the look-alikes Renee discussed. Weathering patterns and natural surfaces can offer clues, but experience helps.
Renee's jewelry background must give her a different eye for the stones.
We think so, too. Renee’s work as a jeweler brings an artistic perspective to the stone’s natural patterns and color.
Worth checking where collecting is allowed before picking up rocks on a hike.
The Casper College Herbarium session sounds interesting too.
I'd be more interested in hearing about those famous jade thefts.
A geology talk at the Humanities Festival makes sense to me.
My grandma had a Wyoming jade ring. I never knew about the Jade Rush.
Tom EricksonI wonder if her ring was made from jade found around here. Do you still have it?
Did Stewart show any rough jade next to polished pieces? I'd love to see that.
Finding a green rock is easy. Knowing what it is takes practice.
I would've gone for the jade talk and stayed for the beaver top hat.
Good to see the Rockhounds Club involved in the festival.
My dad used to bring home rocks he swore were jade. Might have been serpentine!
The 1930s Jade Rush sounds like a story worth hearing.
Absolutely, the 1930s Jade Rush brought prospectors to central Wyoming and left plenty of rockhounding lore behind.
Paul R.Same here. The part about famous jade thefts caught my attention.
Now I'm wondering how many green rocks I've mistaken for jade.
Wish I'd known Renee Stewart was speaking at Casper College.
Dave ThompsonMe too. I would have gone if I'd heard about it earlier.
I had no idea Wyoming jade could be almost black.
It surprised us, too! Wyoming nephrite ranges from translucent greens to deep green and nearly black.
Those famous jade thefts need their own talk!
I'd love to see jade before it's polished.
Casper College puts on some neat events.
A beaver top hat, too? What a lineup.
Does the Rockhounds Club take beginners?
My grandpa collected jade around central Wyoming.
The 1930s Jade Rush sounds wild!
I've mistaken serpentine for jade before.
Nearly black jade? Had no idea.
kim_87Same here. I always pictured jade as bright green.
Wish I'd caught Renee's talk!
We wish you could have been there! Renee brought together the history, science and artistry of Wyoming jade.
Wyoming jade is gorgeous!