Jasper is a popular material known for its variety of colours and patterns.
Due to impurities, it's mostly opaque.
Trade names are often given to rocks and minerals, particularly those whose scientific names are not appealing.
'Jasper' is often used because it's a material people are familiar with.
In many cases, stones that have been called Jasper contain no jasper at all. Examples include Kambaba Jasper and Dalmatian Jasper.
In ancient texts, the stone referred to as 'iaspis' was long believed to be 'Jasper. However, historians now believe it was a different stone.
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