Jasper (Orbicular)
“Silica with natural bullseye patterns”
Orbicular jasper — commonly called ocean jasper — is a variety of microcrystalline quartz (chalcedony) that displays stunning concentric ring patterns in multiple colors. Each 'orb' formed as silica precipitated in rhythmic layers around a nucleus, creating natural bullseye patterns unlike anything else in the mineral world.
chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz), quartz, feldspar, iron oxides, clay minerals
Marovato (Madagascar — ocean jasper locality), Chihuahua (Mexico — poppy jasper), Oregon (USA), Australia
6.5-7
Madagascar's ocean jasper was only accessible at low tide from a remote coastal cliff — when the primary deposit was exhausted in the early 2000s, prices skyrocketed since no equivalent source has been found.
Test Your Knowledge
Why did the price of ocean jasper from Madagascar dramatically increase in the early 2000s?
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