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Rain forrest Jasper / chrysoprase

pugdog
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Apr 26, 2003, 1:07 PM

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Rain forrest Jasper / chrysoprase	Can't Post

There is some mint green rain forrest jasper out there, with patches of brown. Great stuff. I only have (had?) a little of it. It goes great with the mint gree stones out there, especially the oh-so-hard to match out chrysoprase

Chrysoprase is apple green chalcedony. The shade of green is due to nickel. Chrysoprase has a hardness rating of 7.
Chrysoprase will fade in the sunlight.
The best chrysoprase is found in Australia (Queensland).
It's also found in Austria, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Russia, and Califorrnia.
Chrysoprase is often referred to as Australian Jade due to its wonderful green color.
It is often used for beads, cabochons and cameos.

NOTE: "Jade" is a "Concept" more than a stone... Like Amber, it's a material that requires a higher level of confidence.
PUGDOG's Rock & Bead Shop
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

jenibead
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Aug 14, 2003, 6:15 PM

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Re: [pugdog] Rain forrest Jasper / chrysoprase [In reply to]	Can't Post

I've heard the same jasper called ocean jasper - go figure.

pugdog
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Aug 15, 2003, 7:57 AM

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Re: [jenibead] Rain forrest Jasper / chrysoprase [In reply to]	Can't Post

Hi,

Ocean Jasper is a _specific_ kind, mined off the coast of madagascar from one hidden submerged find.

I comes in pinks, greens, yellows and is characterized by intense colors and often breathtaking patters of orbs and eyes. The yellow eyes in green seems to be the most desired of the patterns.

From the importer's site:

"This new rock has been found along the northwest coast of Madagascar after years of unsuccessful searching. The deposit formed similar to a rhyolite flow but has been totally silicated. The rhyolitic spheres or orbs come in an astonishing array of colors and color combinations. The background can be white, pink,, green, red or yellow. Botryoidal formations as well as white and deep green druzy are also common. The deposit, being located at the edge of the ocean, can only be seen and collected from at low tide. This remote area has no roads so the material must be transported to civilization by boat."

"Rhyolite is an igneous rock, rich in silica. As it cools, sometimes the silica starts to precipitate out of the magma, forming little spherical balls. This type of formation is easily recognizable in the aforementioned jaspers. If these balls or "globs" of silica-rich magma are allowed to grow larger before the whole mass becomes solid, they can crack and shrink forming what later may become Thundereggs."

"Ocean Jasper has a typical rhyolite formation except that the entire mass has somehow been converted to pure silica (agate, jasper, quartz). The descriptions 'silicated rhyolite', petrified rhyolite, or agatized rhyolite are non-sensical but take on a generally understandable meaning when viewing this rock. To my knowledge, there has never been a material like this available before."

To see pictures of the mine, and area check out the site: http://www.thegemshop.com/o_jasper.htm

If you read the page, you'll see what makes this material different, is that it is a _true_ agate/jasper, not a softer rhyolitic material.

You can compare it to leopard skin and rain forest in the shop, and see how it's much harder and takes a better polish in general.

PUGDOG's Rock & Bead Shop
Pittsburgh, PA 15217

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