Imperial Jasper (Royal) from Mexico #93845 Picture taken wet and in bright light to see the patterns .
3" W
2" H
1/4 - 1 " Thick
131g
Royal Imperial Jasper
Royal Imperial Jasper comes from north of the border between Jalisco and Zacatecas, Mexico about 50 miles north of the city of Guadalajara. This material is found in small nodules with a soft white chalky "skin", as opposed to Imperial Jasper which is similar in colors but found in large veins and bigger pieces.
The Greek origin of the word jasper, iaspis, means "spotted stone." This form of semiprecious chalcedony, or micro crystalline quartz, is usually red, brown or green. Its patterns are much less regular and defined than those of the other chalcedony variety, agate. Another difference between the two is that jasper s are generally opaque, while agates tend to be translucent (or at least contain translucent bands).
