Picture Jasper
A variety of Jasper
What is Picture Jasper?
Also known as Scenic Jasper, picture Jasper is a beautiful variety of Agate or jasperized Rhyolite, prized for its landscape-like inclusions which are revealed when the material is properly cut. The stones with those unusual "pictures" (hills, waves, shores) are highly prized by collectors, not only for their beauty but also for their rarity; the material is mined only in the Namibia desert (Africa) and Oregon (USA).
Optical Properties
- Refractive Index
- 1.54
- Birefringence
- 0.003-0.009
- Pleochroism
- None
- Optical Character
- Biaxial positive
- Dispersion
- 0.013
Discover Values
Picture Jasper Market Value Calculator
Estimate the market value of Picture Jasper using size, quality, and finish. This preview calculator is for quick context and is not a formal appraisal.
Picture Jasper Localities Map
See where Picture Jasper is found with a localities map, collecting zones, and geology context. Generate a sample map preview below.
Key Characteristics
Characteristics of Picture Jasper
Picture jaspers exhibit combinations of patterns resulting in what appear to be scenes or images, when seen on a cut section. Such patterns include banding from flow or depositional patterns (from water or wind), as well as dendritic or color variations. Diffusion from a center produces a distinctive orbicular appearance, i.e., leopard skin jasper or linear banding from a fracture as seen in leisegang jasper. Healed, fragmented rock produces brecciated (broken) jasper.
Health & Safety Information
- ⚠️Harm Reason: Picture Jasper in powdered form can be toxic due to its Crystalline Silica content.
- ⚠️Physical Toxicity: Quartz, silica, crystalline silica and flint are non-toxic materials, but very fine dust containing quartz, known as respirable crystalline silicon (RCS), can cause serious and fatal lung disease. Lapidaries should exercise caution when cutting silica.
- ⚠️How to prevent the risks of Picture Jasper?
Quick Facts
Physical Properties
- Color
- Brown, tan, beige, reddish-brown, black, white, gray
- Hardness (Mohs)
- 6.5 - 7
- Density
- 2.5 - 2.6 g/cm³
- Streak
- White, Yellow, Brown, Red
- Luster
- Vitreous, Dull
- Crystal System
- Trigonal
Chemical Properties
- Chemical Formula
- SiO2
- Elements
- Si, O
Also Known As
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