Jasper Stone: Properties, Meaning, Facts and Photos

What is Jasper?

Jasper is a microcrystalline variety of the mineral chalcedony. Microcrystalline means the stone's crystals are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

Although often referred to as a mineral, some consider jasper to be a rock. This is because, although jasper is composed primarily of quartz and/or chalcedony, it often features impurities of other minerals or substances.

These impurities make jasper stones opaque and are also responsible for their various colours and markings.

The presence of iron oxides, often from hematite, turns jasper red. Impurities of clay cause a yellowish, white or grey colour, while goethite introduces yellows and browns. Chlorite is usually responsible for turning jasper green.

Jasper is known for its vibrant colours and patterns, which are rarely uniform and often overlap or merge. Stones commonly exhibit more than one colour.

While blue is rare, shades of red, yellow, and brown are common. Many other colours can also be present. 
The formation of jasper often begins when loose sediments become stuck together. This happens when groundwater containing silica that seeped into sedimentary rock dries up. The silica then acts like glue and binds everything together.

The different sediments determine the stone's final colour. Patterns are often the result of the motion of natural forces that brought the sediment (or volcanic ash) together.

Jasper can also develop through the crystallisation of hot solutions in cracks of igneous rocks.    

Well known for its various colours and markings, jasper is widely used for decorative purposes and metaphysical healing properties. 

A relatively hard stone, jasper grades 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Many different varieties can be found around the world.

Jasper Stone Trade Names

Many stones are given trade names to boost popularity and increase sales. Names often relate to a specific characteristic or the locality where the stone is found.

Dalmatian, Leopardskin, and Zebra Jasper exhibit colours or markings similar to these animals.

Landscape, Scenic, and Picture Jasper, all types of mudstone, exhibit markings resembling landscapes.

Mookaite from Western Australia is named after Mooka Creek. Red Jasper, whose colour comes from hematite, is named for its brick-red colour.

There are hundreds of trade names, but many including Noreena, Polychrome, Poppy, and Imperial Jasper, offer little or no clue as to the stone's origins or characteristics.

The trade name 'Jasper' is often used because of its familiarity, but it can be misleading because many of these rocks and minerals are not true jaspers. Kambaba Jasper and Dalmatian Jasper are just two examples. 

Meaning of the Name 'Jasper'

The name 'jasper' comes from the Greek word 'iaspis,' meaning 'spotted stone.' This name reflects its characteristic patterns and multicoloured appearance, which often include speckles, streaks, or swirls.

Historically, jasper has been prized for its beauty and durability, and the name has been used, often incorrectly, for various stones that exhibit vibrant colours and unique markings.

In many ancient civilisations, jasper was used as a talisman to ward off dark and negative forces and was also used for courage and determination.

Although known for thousands of years, the stone referred to as 'jasper' by ancient writers like Theophrastus [c.371-c.287 BC], Pliny the Elder [23-79 AD] and others is not believed to be the same stone as the jasper known today.

The stone they referred to as 'iaspis' was mostly described as translucent. Some wrote that it may also be cloudy and was often associated with 'smaragdos.' Smaragdos is an ancient name for emerald.

Although documented as green, some writers, including Pliny, claimed 'iaspis' also occurred in blue, purple, and pink and could even be colourless.

It's widely believed that 'iaspis' was a generic name for translucent or transparent varieties of quartz that was not known by any other name.

There are indications that fluorite, and possibly jade may also have been included in this group. This is because, at this time, it was common for rocks and minerals to be grouped together according to colour.

The stone referred to as pink iaspis, is likely to have been rose quartz. Blue would have been a type of chalcedony, while green was probably chrysoprase. Stones with hues of brown were probably smoky quartz.

These stones 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 and was particularly popular for jewellery.

There are references to jasper stones in Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian, and Latin literature. In the Bible (Exodus 28.20), jasper is identified as one of the gemstones in the Breastplate of the High Priest. 'Iaspis' is said to have been the third stone in the fourth row of this sacred garment.

Types of Jasper

• Biggs
• Brecciated
• Bruneau
• Bumblebee
• Dalmatian
• Imperial
• Kambaba
• Landscape, Picture, Scenic (types of mudstone)
• Leopardskin
• Morrisonite
• Mookaite (Australian Jasper)
• Noreena
• Ocean
• Orbicular
• Owyhee (type of picture Jasper)
• Polychrome
• Poppy
• Rainforest
• Snakeskin
• Spiderweb
• Willow Creek 
• Zebra

Article Pictures

The jasper stone in the picture at the top of this article comes from Cave Creek, Arizona. Photo courtesy of Stan Celestian.

The Poppy Jasper in the second photo is courtesy of Captain Tenneal. 

The Red Jasper veined with quartz is housed in London's Natural History Museum. Photo by Stone Mania.

Photos are clickable and redirect to the original image.

Pop-up images: Hematite and fluorite - Courtesy of Stan Celestian. Bumblebee Jasper - Courtesy of Amir Akhavan. Chrysoprase and Owyhee Picture Jasper - Courtesy of Steve Blyskal. Bruneau Jasper and Spiderweb Jasper - Courtesy of Captain Tenneal.

The Kambaba, Rainforest, Polychrome Jasper, and Mookaite are from our collection.