Jasper is a rather unique gemstone in its visual appearance. It is inexpensive, especially in comparison to precious gemstones. Unlike most of the other gems used in jewellery, which offer either consistent patterns, consistent colours, or perhaps iridescent effects, this stone offers both a variety of colours and patterns, which gives Jasper its uniqueness.
Characteristics
Jasper is a relatively hard stone, which ranks between 6 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It is always opaque, and generally has a glassy lustre. Its most notable aspect is the patterns it displays: they vary between each other, not just in arrangement but also in colour.
Jasper stones are almost always natural, and very rarely treated to enhance their visual appearance. However, they can at times be dyed to change their natural colour. Fortunately, thanks to a lack of similarity with other gemstones, it is difficult to confuse it for another stone – thus it is usually easy to find a natural and genuine Jasper when looking to purchase jewellery.
It should be noted this stone has a great range of varieties. It is worth checking whether a certain variety exhibits the desired pattern or colours since individual stones vary between each other.
Colour and value
Jasper does not have any consistent colour or expected pattern. Spotted, banded, ringed and striped patterns can all be found on Jasper. They generally do not appear colourless, and transparent or translucent examples do not occur naturally.
It is a relatively abundant stone, and not particularly valuable nowadays. Interestingly, in ancient times the opposite was true when it was highly valued.
Use
Jasper appears in a multitude of settings. Pendants, Necklaces and Bracelets can be made with this stone as a setting. Generally, it is shaped into cabochons, but can also be crafted into a cameo. With an inexpensive price and an abudance of sources, it is an accessible yet unique gemstone to be set in an exquisite piece of jewellery.
Sources
It is a common stone, and as such can be found in a variety of locations around the world. The more significant deposits can be found in the United States, India, Egypt, Australia, Uruguay, Russia, Indonesia, as well as Madagascar, Brazil and Kazakhstan.