| Jasper is a dark green, semi-translucent to opaque form of semiprecious chalcedony. It derives its name from the Greek iaspis. It owes its colour to admixed hematite, but when it occurs with clay admixed, the colour is a yellowish white or gray, or with goethite, a brown or yellow. Jasper is opaque, fine-grained or dense variety of the silica mineral chert. Jasper, long used for jewelry and ornamentation, has a dull luster but takes a fine polish. Its hardness and other physical properties are those of quartz. It is used in many forms of jewelry and lapidary arts. Jasper was known as the great rain-bringer in the fourth century. Jasper is one of the gemstones, that used in commesso, also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly coloured, semiprecious stones. It can also be worn as beads or cabochon jewelry. Jasper is belived to strengthen the stomach and also to cure gynecological problems. It is also thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites. Jasper is commonly found in the regions of North Africa, Sicily, France, India, Venezula and Germany, USA etc. |
