Mineral Guide · Rock
Jasper is an opaque, fine-grained silica-rich rock known for bold colour, patterns and polish, with each locality offering a distinctive natural design.
Jasper is an opaque, fine-grained silica-rich rock known for bold colour, patterns and polish, with each locality offering a distinctive natural design.
Reference formula: No single formula applies because this is a rock or trade material.. Jasper is a rock and may contain microcrystalline quartz, chalcedony, iron oxides, clay minerals and other components. Its colours and patterns are geological textures, not evidence of a single chemical formula or crystal lattice. Jasper is classified with a reference material rather than one mineral class and has a not applicable to the material as a whole crystal system. Typical hardness is 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale and specific gravity is approximately 2.5–2.9.
Typical colours include red, yellow, brown, green, black, cream. The usual massive, brecciated, botryoidal habit and dull, waxy, vitreous lustre help describe a specimen, but colour alone is not diagnostic.
Jasper forms in or is associated with silica-rich sedimentary, volcanic and hydrothermal environments with iron and other mineral impurities. Important documented localities include India, Madagascar, Brazil, Australia, the United States, Mexico and South Africa.
Jasper is one of the most versatile materials in the mineral world: a polished cabochon, a bookmatched slab or a raw landscape-like nodule can all show a different face of the same geological idea. Its visual character makes every specimen naturally individual.
Jasper has a long history in ornamental arts, and modern crystal traditions give different colours their own symbolic readings. Those interpretations are cultural; the measurable story is the rock's silica-rich texture, impurities and place of formation.
Although fairly hard, polished jasper can chip at edges; clean with mild soap and water and avoid acids or sudden thermal shock.
Reviewed by NotOnlyRocks Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 25 August 2026
Looking for Jasper?
Send us a request and we will try to find a suitable specimen for you.
Request Jasper