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Jaspers
Facts, Information and Description
Jasper is one of the birth stones listed for the Sun Sign of Virgo. It is also the Mystical birthstone for the month of October. Jasper is an opaque and fine grained variety of Chalcedony (kal-sid-knee).
It is found in all colors including: red, brown, pink, yellow, green, gray/white and shades of blue and purple.
It often contains organic material and mineral oxides which give it interesting patterns, bands and colors. Many of these patterns resemble landscapes with mountains and valleys, thus the name "picture" is part of the name of many well known jaspers.
Jasper is from the chalcedony/quartz group. It is a microcrystalline variety of quartz that contains up to 20% foreign material. These materials are what determine the color and appearance of the stone. Also because of the foreign materials, jasper is rarely uniform in color, it is usually multicolored, striped, and/or spotted.
Jasper was a favorite gem in ancient times and is referenced in Greek, Hebrew, Assyrian and Latin literature. Found worldwide, a wide variety of named jaspers is found in the western areas of the Unites States; California, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Washington.
Picture jasper is a petrified or silicate mud that dripped into gas pockets in molten lava. It became superheated and then solidified forming the unusual banded patterns which are typical of this stone.
A 6.5-7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, Jasper is the state rock of Massachusetts, USA.
Folklore, Legend and Healing Properties
Jaspers of all kinds have long been attributed magical powers in just about every culture known to man.
Legend says that Jasper would drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites. In the fourth century, it was thought to bring about the rain. Jasper was used in Ancient European times as a "rain bringer" and it is interesting to note that the word for jasper in some American Indian cultures also meant, "Rain Bringer".
Jasper is protective. It can align all the chakras and balance yin yang energies, it is stabilizing and healing.
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