About Jasper
🟤 Jasper | Earth’s Memory in Microcrystalline Form
Jasper is a fully opaque member of the cryptocrystalline quartz family—meaning its quartz crystals are so tiny you’d need a microscope to see them. It’s not a single color or pattern but a geological category, and it shows up in an astonishing array of forms: layered, brecciated, orbicular, picture-like, metallic, and more.
Jasper most often forms when porous sediment—like ash, mudstone, limestone, or diatomaceous earth—takes in silica-rich water, filling every gap and grain with microscopic quartz and chalcedony. In other cases, it starts as a potential agate or translucent chalcedony, but is clouded and colored by mineral impurities—up to 20% non-silica content—turning it opaque.
That’s part of what makes jasper so interesting: it’s where silica meets sediment, recording both geology and environment. The range of materials that can become jasper is vast, and the results can be wildly different even across the same hillside.
Jasper ranks between 6 and 7.5 on the Mohs scale, and breaks with a conchoidal fracture, like glass. It’s excellent for cabbing, carving, and wearables—strong enough for most jewelry with just enough softness to shape beautifully.
That said, the jasper market is full of mislabels. Not every stone called jasper is actually jasper. Real jasper is both quartz-based and opaque. If it’s not? It’s something else. (We’re looking at you, Bumblebee “Jasper,” which is actually a colorful volcanic travertine.)
Jasper has been with us since the beginning. It shows up in ancient tools, seals, and religious texts—including the Bible. It’s long been honored as a stone of grounding, protection, and endurance—a companion for those who carry both weight and wisdom.
