Clickable Photo. Although known for thousands of years the stone referred to as jasper by ancient writers such as Theophrastus [c. In ancient times the stone known as "iaspis" was mostly described as being translucent. Some wrote it may also be cloudy and was often associated with 'smaragdos'.
Smaragdos is known today as emerald. Although documented as being green, some writers including Pliny claimed "iaspis" also occurred in blue, purple, pink and could even be colourless. It's widely believed "iaspis" was a generic name for translucent or transparent varieties of quartz not known by any other name. There are indications the mineral fluorite and even jade may also have been included in this group.
This is because it was common for rocks and minerals to be grouped together according to colour. The stone referred to as pink jasper is likely to have been rose quartz. Blue would have been a type of chalcedony, green chrysoprase and stones with hues of brown were probably smoky quartz. These varieties of jasper were all widely used as seals which has helped historians to identify them. Jasper has been used as a carving material for thousands of years.
It was particularly popular for use in jewellery. There are references to jasper in Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian and Latin literature. In the Bible Exodus Available Right Now Online Support. Start Chat with. Home Categories. Browse All Categories. Cabochon Gemstones. Crystals Rocks Minerals. Gemstone Pendants. Silver Gemstone Rings. Silver Snake Chains. Suitable for Younger Collectors. Tumbled Stones. Browse All Articles. Minerals : A. Minerals : B. Beryl Bloodstone. Minerals : C. Minerals : D.
Dinosaur Bone Dumortierite. Minerals : E - F. Minerals : G. Garnet Goethite Goldstone Granite. Minerals : H. Hematite Hemimorphite Hornblende. Minerals : I - J. The original materials are often fractured and distorted after deposition, into myriad beautiful patterns which are to be later filled with other colorful minerals.
Weathering, with time, will create intensely colored superficial rinds. Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns such as banding from flow or depositional patterns from water or wind, dendritic or color variations resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, on a cut section. Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance like with Leopard Skin Jasper, or linear banding from a fracture as seen in Leisegang Jasper.
Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated jasper. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped or banded jasper. Black Feather This jasper was recently discovered in China. We saw large blue jasper rocks but at first we ignored them because we were actually looking for evidence of silver or gold. We wandered over to the jasper and checked out some pieces and then said "This would make some really awesome jewelry.
I want it. It did and so here we are. The mine is in a mountainous region which is about to meters above sea level. It was first discovered by minority ethnic people going up the mountains to look for herbs, but they instead became miners. In this area there are 49 minority ethnic groups which it is the most among all the provinces in China. Each of these minority ethnic groups have their own dialects and culture and cannot easily communicate cross culturally.
Therefore, this group does not know how to sell the stones by themselves, so usually they sell them to a few merchants who sell the stones in the market. The people dig in mud by hand to obtain the material so the output is low. As well, roads are not common in this area, so transportation is by a simple railway.
Butterfly This jasper if from Benito Juarez, Mexico. It was discovered in summer and the first batch was mined in December There is a small hill that is about 3 acres that is full of this material. However, there is about 2 feet of dirt overburden that must be removed to get to it. This jasper has some soft parts to it that is more of a Hickoryite or Rhyolite, but some of it is much harder like Jasper.
It is called Cabernet Jasper is because of the wine colors in its appearance. Confetti This jasper is a conglomerate material which comes from Benito Juarez, Mexico. It is a new jasper which is open pit mined. The area in Mexico is mainly a Farming, Ranching and Mining community.
The mine is located close to the coast and was discovered by a Congolian prospector. This is one of the only deposits of this material. Green Chert This jasper is from Australia. This area is within the Owyhee Mountain system that is a large area where Idaho, Oregon, and Nevada, come together. The valley was in fact so hard to find, that it was used as a moon shiners hide-out back in old days. Fugitives of justice would hide out in this area because it was so remote.
This jasper was formed as a volcanic flow of very fine particulate rich in silica. It forms as a layer of neutral colored jasper just like that of a painter's canvas. Iron Oxides create the color with other trace elements mixed in.
The oxides surrounded and permeated the jasper under extreme heat and pressure. This gives the smooth look of natures canvas with waves of rich water colors throughout. View All Videos View Minerals. The Mineral jasper. Jasper is an opaque form of Chalcedony , which is a microcrystalline variety of the mineral Quartz. It often contains an abundance of impurities , and therefore some regard it as a rock instead of a mineral.
Jasper is usually associated with brown, yellow, or reddish colors, but may be used to describe other opaque colors of Chalcedony such as dark or mottled green and orange.
Some forms of Jasper are banded , and these banded Jaspers may appear similar to Agate , but unlike Agate they are opaque. When Jasper is dull and lacking interesting colors or patterns, it is not Jasper but rather Chert. For additional information, see the gemstone section on Jasper. There are several variety names for Jasper generally used by collectors and dealers, but there is also an abundance of variety names that are made up by dealers to describe a locality or other habit.
The varieties section below will only list well-known names that are commonly used. Agate Jasper. The proper definition of Basanite is a low-grade Obsidian. Biggs Jasper. Brecciated Jasper. Bruneau Jasper. Cave Creek Jasper. Deschutes Jasper. Egyptian Jasper. It is found as rounded pebbles on the beaches of Egypt.
A similar Jasper is found on the beaches of Washington state and sometimes also labelled as Egyptian Jasper. Green Jasper. Green Jasper differs from Prase and Plasma since it is fully opaque. Leopard Jasper. Morgan Hill Jasper. Sometimes synonymous with " Poppy Jasper ". Green jasper was used to make bow drills in Mehrgarh between 4th-5th millennium BC. Jasper is known to have been a favorite gem in the ancient world; its name can be traced back in Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Greek and Latin.
On Minoan Crete within present day Greece jasper was carved to produce seals circa BC, as evidenced by archaeological recoveries at the palace of Knossos. Jasper is typically found in veins and cracks in volcanic rocks, often together with chalcedony and agate. Jasper has been used as gemstones and other ornamental objects for thousands of years.
In medieval times jasper was said to give the wearer, with God's help, the power to heal insanity and to heal those possessed by devils. In the fourth century, the wearing of green jasper was said to bring rain and to cure snake bites.
Jasper amulets were engraved with passages from the Book of the Dead by the ancient Egyptians to procure safe passage for the deceased in the realm of the dead. Some of the earliest primitive stone tools axes fashioned by man's ancestors 2. These materials were used because of their hardness and their isotropic brittleness which made it possible to shape the tools with relative ease.
Jasper is also used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for snuff boxes.
0コメント