Jasper is a semi-precious ornamental gem. The English version of the name is Jasper. The origin of the name comes from the Greek word “ἴασπις” (motley, speckled stone). The obsolete version of the name is jasper.
Benefits of Wearing Jasper
Healing effects of Wearing Jasper:
In Eastern teachings, jasper is considered a symbol of life, it strengthens the physical body and improves the body’s readings. Since antiquity, it has been used to treat epilepsy, seizures and fever. The mineral is especially useful for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and circulatory system.
The color of the stone also affects the effect. Red and brown crystals improve the readings of the cardiovascular and circulatory systems. They are able to stop bleeding, have a positive effect on the menstrual cycle, and also activate the defenses, which increases immunity. This color is recommended for pregnant women, especially at the beginning of childbirth, because it helps relieve pain.
Yellow jasper affects the nervous system. It soothes, protects against stress and normalizes sleep. Sleeplessness and nightmares go away when worn with this gem. Green jasper is good for the gastrointestinal tract and liver. It cures attacks of pancreatitis, gastritis, relieves stomach pains. Also, green and blue variations are useful for eye diseases and decreased visual acuity.
Magical Effects of wearing Jasper:
Sometimes the floor was laid out with a gem mosaic in order to prevent a person who wants evil from entering the room.
Jasper is called the talisman of travelers and scientists. It helps the latter in mastering new knowledge, expanding the horizon of vision, and also allows them to choose the right path. For lovers of travel and adventure, the gem gives protection from road accidents and unpleasant fellow travelers, and allows you to quickly establish connections.
Without exception, he gives eloquence to everyone, helps to feel the thoughts and mood of the interlocutor. Jasper also makes its owners more attractive in the eyes of others, increases charisma. In this case, the stone will be neutral for businessmen. It does not affect the ability to earn or conclude profitable deals, although it does establish contacts with partners.
Which Zodiac Signs can wear Jasper:
Jasper is Most Suitable for the following Zodiac Signs:
- Virgo
- Leo
- Pisces
- Capricorn
- Scorpio
Jasper is most suitable for Virgos. It helps them to achieve ease in everyday life and thoughts, relieves of the tendency to mentoring. It also allows you to find a common language with the people around you and gain wealth. Red-brown stones are most suitable for Virgos..
Jasper gives Leo them the necessary energy, develops leadership qualities, because is a symbol of winners and fighters. Red variety of Jasper especially have a strong effect on Leos.
The aura of Jasper gives Pisces confidence in themselves and their strengths, has the ability to facilitate the expression of their opinion, defending their position.
Wearing Jasper takes Capricorns on the path of self-improvement, mastering new knowledge, applying them in practice, it helps well in learning.
Jasper softens the character of Scorpios, helps them to hold back in the right situations and exercise discretion.
Jasper is not Suitable for Aries and Gemini
On wearing Jasper, Aries becomes more persistent, even though the goal is initially unattainable or erroneous.
When Gemini natives wear Jasper, their twofold nature becomes even more unbalanced and windy.
Other Zodiac Signs can wear jasper without fear, it will not harm them.
Combination of Jasper with other Stones:
From an aesthetic point of view, jasper is compatible with most stones, the options depend only on the color of the main component. If the gem is red, it will not look blue, yellow, green and purple minerals, but it will work well with diamonds. Yellows also do not like indigo shades in their neighbors, greens are combined with almost all stones, except red ones. With transparent and white gems, any version of jasper looks good.
Astrologers and magicians note that this crystal is subject to the planet Mars. Crystals belonging to this celestial body are combined with minerals:
- Suns ( ruby , garnet , tourmaline , red amber );
- Jupiter (yellow sapphire , topaz , chalcedony , as well as citrine , amber, selenite );
- Moons ( pearls , moonstone, white agate , jade and chalcedony);
- Venus (diamond, rock crystal , zircon , morganite , rhodochrysallite, white sapphire, opal ).
Jasper does not like the proximity to Saturn stones (blue sapphire , lapis lazuli , tanzanite , kyanite , turquoise , chrysocolla , labrador , amethyst ), Mercury ( emerald , green jadeite , tourmaline , amethyst, olivine ), Rahu (smoky topaz , charoite ). However, when choosing the right combination, it is better to focus not only on magical and energy compatibility, but also on the color of a particular mineral.
How to tell if a Jasper is Real or Fake:
Jasper is practically not forged, because it is widespread in nature and it will be much more difficult to imitate its structure and pattern than to acquire natural raw materials. More often the gem itself is passed off as other stones, for example, turquoise , jadeite , amazonite .
In rare cases, fakes are made from plastic, acrylic, glass. Considering that jasper is a hard enough breed, you can distinguish a fake by slightly scratching the surface with a hard point. Glass will shatter on impact, but a true gem will not. In addition, the natural mineral heats up more slowly than plastic and glass counterparts and does not differ in transparency.
A processed copy always shines and shimmers, if the buyer sees that there is a beautiful pattern on the stone, but the surface is matte, then it is not the original in front of him.
How to care for your Jasper:
The gem is not fragile, but it does not tolerate the effects of temperature and alkaline agents, therefore, when caring for it, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules:
- Immerse only in cool water for cleaning;
- Do not use aggressive chemicals, take a regular soap solution;
- Remove jewelry with a stone from the body while cooking, building a fireplace;
- Storage should be performed in boxes with soft walls, separate from other crystals.
Following these simple rules will preserve the color and brightness of the jasper.
Appearance of Jasper
The natural Jasper stone is a type of chalcedony , which belongs to oxides (IMA class), belongs to the chalcedony group. Chemical formula (in general) – SiO 2 . The bulk of the rock is quartz (chalcedony). Jasper contains many impurities (up to 20%). These include: chlorite, hematite , mica, feldspar , actinolite , epidote , pyrite , oxides and hydroxides of manganese and iron, porphyries, which are unevenly distributed. The approximate content of the main elements:
- silicon dioxide – 80-95%;
- aluminum and iron oxide – up to 15%;
- calcium oxide – from 3 to 6%.
The mineral does not dissolve in acids, but is etched with hydrogen fluoride. Unstable to alkalis. Under the influence of temperature, it loses color and cracks.
Colors and Shades of Jasper
There are any shades of crystals, depending on the impurities included in the composition. Most often colored in a reddish-brown range (due to the presence of iron and hematite ), yellow variants are also common. Instances of blue shades are quite rare. Monochromatic gems are much less common striped, spotted and with a different pattern.
Following Different jaspers are found :
Verities and Types of Jasper:
Jasper classification is presented as follows:
1. Striped Jasper:
Striped (tape) options are one of the most common. In structure and crystallization it is close to jasper quartzite. They are distinguished by the presence of alternating layers of different tones. The width of each “tape” ranges from a couple of millimeters to several centimeters. The interlayers differ not only in color, but also in the composition of the rocks.
2. Variegated Jasper:
Variegated jasper. They have a combination of different patterns in a small space of a stone – stripes, spots, hemispheres, rings, all of them can be outlined or vague.
They belong to recrystallized rocks. Grain sizes range from hundredths to tenths of a millimeter. For the most part, they consist of quartz, the presence of hematite, garnet , magnetite is also noted , the proportion of the compound, as well as the presence of other inclusions, is determined by a specific deposit. By the type of drawing, they are divided into:
3. Homogenous Jasper:
They do not have a pronounced pattern, the tone of the breed is almost the same throughout. They differ from other types in that they are practically not affected by recrystallization. With a strong magnification, uniform jaspers show a spectacle structure, which is round or elongated eyes from 0.1 to 0.4 mm, formed by coarse-grained quartz, sometimes in combination with chalcedony, opal , chlorite. Most often, different shades of red, all options have an unexpressed coloration. They are rare, have pronounced fracturing, and are not used in jewelry.
4. Irnimite Jasper:
The main background of gems is cherry or orange with a gray tint. It has spots and streaks of a bright blue tone, up to almost black, in a chaotic manner. In addition to the main components, it contains manganese and alkaline amphibole.
When was Jasper Discovered:
The exact year of the discovery of the jasper is unknown. Specimens of this gem were found in the sites of the ancient Neanderthals. It is known that in the distant past, the mineral was used as a unit of exchange between tribes, and also seals, gems, bracelets, figurines, and other adornments and decorative items were made from it. It was also used for inlaid dishes made of precious metals.
In the Middle Ages, jasper was used to decorate churches, vestments of ministers or religious symbols. She was referred to as 12 sacred stones.
However, it should be noted that up to the 19th century. the term “jasper” (known as “jasper” at that time) meant all variegated gems, and only from this century the name was attributed to the silicon varieties that looked good after polishing.
Where is Jasper Found
- USA (California, Colorado, North Carolina, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Texas);
- Kazakhstan (eastern and northern region);
- France (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Burgundy-Franche-Comte, Brittany);
- Germany (Saxony, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Thuringia);
- India (north of the country, Jharkhand);
- Czech Republic (Hradec Králové and Liberec Region);
- Ukraine (Krivoy Rog);
- Madagascar (Sofia);
- Morocco (Draa-Tafilalet);
- Holland (Gelderland);
- Peru (Lima, Puno);
- Portugal (Beja, Coimbra);
- Mexico (Morelos, Baja California Sur);
- Italy (Lombardy, Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-South Tyrol, Venice)
- Austria (Carinthia, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Tyrol);
- Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi);
- Australia (New South Wales, Northern Territories, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria);
- Brazil (Pair);
- Russia (Ural, Altai Territory, Kola Peninsula, Khabarovsk Territory, Gorny Altai, Crimea);
- Canada (British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Yukon).
Where is Jasper Used:
The mineral is used to create jewelry, caskets, mosaics, decorative figures of various sizes; it is used as an ornamental stone; it has a collection and some industrial value; it is also loved by magicians and lithotherapists.
Jasper Jewelry
Jewelers make various ornaments from jasper. The setting for the stone is varied – this is silver , gold , and copper , other metals are also used.
The most popular is the cabochon cut, often with a slight convexity. However, the option circle, oval, pear, trillion, heart is also used. It all depends on the size and pattern of the source material. Before cutting, the stone is always ground and polished. Given the high density and hardness of the gem, this process is quite complicated. Ribbon jasper often splits at the junction of the layers during processing.
From ready-made gems, material is obtained for independent jewelry (bracelets, beads), or they are used as an insert into earrings, rings and other products. The resulting colorful decor items are recommended to be worn with plain clothes of calm colors. At the same time, the style can be any – from casual to evening dresses, depending on the quirkiness of the frame. The stone will suit the owners of any eye color, because has a wide range of colors.
In addition to jewelry, mosaics, various decorative figures and paintings are made from jasper, they are used as an element of decoration for vases, dishes, caskets and other items.
Industrial Use:
Weakly colored, as a rule, one-color jasper are used for finishing and finishing work on sharpening tools and knives. This is due to the fact that the rock is highly abrasive. Also, parts for measuring instruments are made from it, and also added in the production of bricks.
Properties of Jasper:
| Property | Description |
| Crystal structure | Trigonal |
| Hardness | 6.5-7 |
| A type | Uniaxial |
| Density, specific gravity | 2.58-2.91 g / cm³ |
| Form | Microcrystalline aggregates, in the form of lenses, veins, clusters, layers up to several hundred meters thick, with a small horizontal length |
| Line color | White |
| Solubility | Dissolves under the action of hydrogen fluoride and alkalis |
| Chevage | Absent |
| Refractive Index | nω = 1.543-1545 nε = 1.552-1.554 |
| Shine | Frosted, Glass |
| Transparency | Completely opaque, even in thin chips |
| Typical Impurities | Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cl, S |
| Break | Crusty |
