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Jasper
The word Jasper means speckled or spotted stone and it sums up this gemstone perfectly. The flecks of color, contrasting swirls and lines across the surface as well as light and dark patches in various hues make this a truly unique gemstone.
Jasper Colors
Jaspers can be just about any color you can imagine and feature just one or two or the whole spectrum. The colors tend to be earthy tones of brown, red and honey but bright oranges and yellows can also appear.
Jasper is made up of various minerals and materials and this is what brings the variety of color - iron can cause the earthy colors, manganese brings in blue tints and clay can create a yellow tone.
Read more about gemstones colors here
Jasper Species
Technically, Jasper is a type of chalcedony which in turn is a type of quartz. Although Jasper, Agate and Chalcedony are all similar varieties of quartz and occasionally overlap in identification we can pinpoint which ones should be called Jasper if they adhere to three simple characteristics.
- It is a type of quartz
- It is a microcrystalline quartz like agate, carnelian and chrysoprase where the crystals are too small to see with the naked eye
- It is made up of enough non-chalcedony material to be opaque - no light will show through the stone
What are the spiritual benefits of Jasper?
As Jasper can contain up to 20% foreign matter in its make-up it can be a bit tricky to interpret its spiritual powers.
However its nickname of 'the Nurturing Stone' shows its dominating strength as a gemstone that offers encouragement and support for all your endeavors.
Its other virtues include:
- Great Meditation Aid
- Relaxation and Calmness
- Absorbs Negative Energy
- Balances Yin and Yang
See our detailed article on gemstone meaning and uses
Jasper and the Chakras
Jasper tends to come in natural earthy colors so will be most useful in helping to unblock the Root Chakra. If the dominant color of your Jasper is an obvious orange then it may be more influence over the Sacral Chakra and a yellow stone will realign the Solar Plexus Chakra.
Find more details on Chakra gemstones here
Jasper Price
Jasper is a very affordable gemstone and will rarely rise above $1 - $3 per carat for even the most exciting of colors and patterns.
Carat Weight
Jaspers can be found in all carat weights from small calibrated gemstones to large and uniquely shaped stones. Since they are so readily available there is no premium placed on the price of a big gemstone and the price per carat stays very similar from small to large.
For more details please refer to our full Jasper Info page here
Treatments
Jaspers are not routinely treated in anyway. We have heard of the occasional gemstone being dyed to boost the color but with such an inexpensive stone that looks good through the efforts of nature it is not really worth the time and money.
Jasper History
The use of Jasper goes back nearly as long as we humans have been around with Jasper hand axes being discovered which may be 100,000 years old!
Native Americans were using Jasper stone for knives and arrowheads 12,000 years ago and beads made of Jasper have been found in archaeological digs in the Indus Valley dating from around the same time.
Look in any museum on any continent and you will see rings, seals and amulets crafted from Jasper by every culture that has existed.
Where is Jasper found?
Jasper's most important sources are India, Australia, Venezuela, Russia, Brazil and Uruguay but the tropical island of Madagascar and the islands of Indonesia provide fantastic multicolored Jasper gemstones.
What jewelry is Jasper suitable for?
Jasper is rated at 7 on Mohs hardness scale which makes it tough enough for all jewelry items including daily wear pieces.
The large sizes and interesting patterns and flecks makes this stone particularly good for one-off designs for pendants, brooches and earrings if you are looking for something to really catch the eye.
They are also perfect for hobby jewelry makers because of the big sizes and affordability.
Birthstones and Anniversaries
Jasper is a traditional birthstone for March.
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