Pyramid – Red Jasper #4

Jasper is a high-varietal and popular mineral. It occurs in many kinds, but most of the time it mostly consists of Quartz and is cryptocrystalline. That means that Jasper does not occur in any distinct crystals, but often in bands or massive growth. A defining characteristic of Jasper is its opaqueness with most kinds. The stone cannot only occur in hundreds of colours, it also shows a wide variety of patterns. Asper has been used by humans since the dawn of civilization and is used as decorative stone or tool. In North-Africa in the middle ages use of an amulet made of Jasper for bravery was common and in Europe at the time it was often set into swords. Some kinds of Jasper have been wrongly included in the group in the past, but this was never corrected. For example Orbicular Jasper, a kind of Rhyolite; or Dalmatian Jasper, a kind of Feldspar with amphibole-spots.