Stone Canyon Jasper

Item Description

Here we have a beautiful example of the elusive Stone Canyon Jaspers from California. The locality where these stones are found lies on a private cattle ranch near Parkfield, California, and collecting is strictly off limits to the public. Jasper is defined as a fine-grained form of Chalcedony and gets its name from the Greek for "spotted stone". The material is always opaque, and basically an impure variety of silicon dioxide which usually is colored red, yellow, brown or green. Jasper typically breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for carving all kinds of items. When the colors are in stripes or bands, it is called striped, banded or "picture" jasper. This particular stone has an "Oval Cabochon" cut gem and a very artistic patterning, which looks beautiful in person. The rich colors and broad patterns make it a very eye-catching and unique stone for any gem collector. What really separates this stone from others I've seen is the rich amount of red coloring, as most of them are largely yellow in color. If you collect cabochons, or even unusual varieties of Chalcedony / Quartz, do not miss out on this excellent stone.