Description
Zebra Jasper owes its name to the distinctive zebra print pattern.
Jasper is an opaque and fine-crystalline variety of quartz. Its chemical composition is identical to that of agate, flint, and chert. The colors are variable, ranging from yellow through red and reddish-brown to green. Jasper stones are cut and polished to be set in jewelry. The name jasper is derived from a Semitic language via Latin and Greek (íaspis) and means “spotted or speckled stone.” The main sources of jasper are India (Deccan Plateau) and Mexico (yellow), Germany (red), and Africa, Australia, Brazil, Egypt, France, and the USA (other colors). Jasper has been worked as a gemstone since antiquity. It was used to make, for example, signet stones, small carved stones, and trinkets. Magical powers were attributed to jasper. In antiquity, it was even called the mother of all stones. Nowadays, it is used in cabochons, table cuts, and applied arts. Imitations are made of glass. The Egyptians and Greeks already used jasper to enhance sexuality and to achieve a speedy pregnancy. Among Native Americans, yellow jasper acted as a rain stone. A number of medicinal effects are attributed to jasper, such as stress reduction, weight loss, combating stomach ailments, and resolving liver problems. According to various literary sources, jasper is associated with the zodiac signs Aries, Virgo, Cancer, and Scorpio. In the Christian scripture Revelation 4:2-3, it is written: At the same moment I was in the Spirit. There was a throne in heaven, and on it sat one. The one who sat there had an appearance like jasper and sarder, and around the throne was a rainbow that looked like emerald.
