Jasper is an opaque stone that belongs to the Chalcedony family of minerals. And oh my word – there are a lot of jaspers! Here’s a tour through just a few.
African Turquoise
African turquoise jasper, also called African turquoise, is a type of spotted teal jasper that is mined in – of course – Africa!
Fancy
Fancy jasper comes in beautiful shades of green, brown, purple, red, yellow, and white. Fancy jasper is primarily mined in Africa and Brazil.
Imperial
Imperial jasper is dense, fine grained, and very hard. All imperial jasper is found in an area 50 miles northwest of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Picasso
Picasso jasper, also called Picasso stone, isn’t actually a jasper at all. Picasso stone is a marble made from metamorphosed limestone, and is found only in Utah.
Picture
The beautiful patterns in picture jasper are caused by water or wind deposits. Most picture jasper comes from Indonesia, Oregon, Idaho, and Wales.
Red
The beautiful, deep red of red jasper comes from deposits of iron. Red jasper is found in many locations, including Brazil, France, Germany, India, Russia, and the U.S.