The Gemstone Jasper
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Click on the underlined varieties for more Information
Click here for Jasper picture Gallery
Abraciated Jasper - African Queen Picture Jasper - Arroyo Picture Jasper
Biggs Jasper - Blood Stone - Blue Mountain Picture Jasper
Breneau Jasper - Burrow Creek Jasper
Canadian Ocean Rock - Chicken Track Picture Jasper
Cripple Creek Picture Jasper
Deschutes - Fryite Picture Jasper - Howlite - Imperial Jasper - Leopard Skin Jasper
Ocean Jasper Madagascar - Owyhee Picture Jasper - Poppy Jasper - Rainforest Jasper
Rocky Butte Picture Jasper - Stone Canyon - Wildhorse Picture Jasper
Willow Creek Picture Jasper
What is Jasper
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES:
VARIETY: Quartz
Chemistry: SiO2
Composition: Silicon Dioxide
Class: tectosilicate
Crystal System: Trigonal
Fracture: conchoidal
Hardness: 7
Specific Gravity: 2.65
Refractive Index: 1.544-1.553
Luster: vitreous
Streak: white
Color: almost any color
Cleavage: none
Transparency: opaque
Jasper is an opaque, impure Chalcedony. Traditionally thought of as red. It also comes in pinks,yellows, greens, browns, and grayish blues. Association with other minerals give jasper nice bands and patterns. In the ancient world Jasper was a favorite gem. We can find the name jasper in Ancient Hebrew, Assyrian, Greek and Latin. Jasper is usually named according to its pattern. picture jasper, ribbon jasper, orbicular jasper, abraciated and etc. Jasper is found worldwide.
Picture Jasper because of it's unique landscape patterns and wide range of colors is one of the most famous verities. It certainly is our most favorite. Since so many verities come from our state of Idaho and our neighbor Oregon. Picture jasper is a petrified or silicated mud. Looking at it's patterns. It isn't hard to visualize mud dripping into gas pockets in molten lava, becoming super-heated and then solidifying into this treasured gemstone
Localities:
Some of our better known Picture Jaspers come from places like, Bruneau Canyon, Idaho. Wild Horse, Classic Owyhee and Rocky Butte picture jaspers are from Owyhee county which is in southern Idaho and part of Eastern Oregon. We also had a nice one here along ther snake river west of Clarkston Wa. the local name is Fryite. It has rare dark blues, blacks, browns and sometims pinks. There are also beauties like Morrison Ranch Picture Jasper (Morrisonite) a high quality jasper found in the Owyhees of Oregon. Willow Creek Jasper, from the Willow Creek Mine. Fifteen miles North of Boise, Idaho. This jasper is a pastel version of the old pink and green Imperial Jasper from Mexico. Last but certainly not least is Blue Mountain Picture Jasper. This is a kidney jasper like Bruneau. With nice greens,blues, yellows, browns and etc. As I said these are just some of our favorites. There are many more types available like chicken track, arroyo, burrow creek, cripple creek and many more from all over the world.