Rainbow Ocean Jasper Carving, Flower

Item Description

Ocean Jasper is the name given to multi-color, banded Orbicular Jasper, which can sometimes show small spherical "orbs" in its interior. Some of the most well-known and eye-catching Ocean Jasper in the world is found in small pools in northeastern Madagascar. The material forms in radial aggregates where small "seed" crystals of Quartz or Feldspar create the rounded shapes.
Here we have beautiful hand-carved flower from Madagascar carved from solid Rainbow Ocean Jasper. The piece is not glued together, it's a complete carving with beautiful detail around the petals. There are a myriad of colors, including rose pink, lavender, olive-green, seafoam green, peach, salmon and mauve. The colors are reminiscent of rainbow sherbet! A wonderful, completely NATURAL (no treatment or dyes whatsoever) carving that even shows a small vug of crystalline Quartz on the underside.
The art of gem carving dates back at least 5000 years and likely longer as the historical record has found beautiful pieces from the ancient Assyrians, Hittites, Egyptians, Persians and later the ancient Greeks and Romans. The skill of a good gem carver has obviously advanced over the millennia, but the impact is still the same when you see natural gems/stones that are lovingly and adeptly carved into various shapes and figures. This piece has some heft to it, as it weighs 432 grams, and it would make a fantastic addition to a curio cabinet or simply sitting on your desk at work or home.