Wonder in Stone - Jasper

                                                                     JASPER


HARDNESS: 7
DENSITY: 2.65
FORMULA: SiO2

Pigeon Blood Jasper at jemelww.com

- COMPOSITION: Silicon dioxide with other mineral impurities, usually iron and manganese.
- COLOR/DESCRIPTION: Very broad range of colors, almost any color or combination of colors
possible. The most common colors are red, yellow, green, black, brown, caramel and white. Jasper is the name given to the group of the opaque varieties of chalcedony. It takes a high glossy polish and is most valued for its earth tone colors and scenic patterns.
- LOCATION/ORIGIN: Many locations; formed in sedimentary and igneous (volcanic) environments as microcrystalline precipitates from aqueous solutions, dehydration of opal or low-temperature volcanic activity, often filling cavities in cooling lava.
- HISTORY/FOLKLORE/USES: Jasper was one of the stones set in the breastplates of the high priests of Israel in ancient times. Folklore suggests that it was highly regarded as a bringer of rain. It was also believed to drive away evil spirits from the wearer and protect from and draw out poisonous venoms.
- ZODIAC: Leo and Taurus
- EMOTION/MOOD: Nurturing stone, methodical consistency, stress relief, endurance, general healing and health maintenance, concentration and sharp focus on long-term goals.
- OCCUPATION: Advertising, Chiropractor, Communications, Executive, Guard or Policeman, Management, Politician, Scientist, Veterinarian.


                                                                   A JASPER TALE

    

Hema Jasper at jemelww.com

     You’ve been exploring and adventuring for an entire week. It’s been a soul filling experience and one you won’t soon forget. You’ve walked across miles of desert, hiked steep rocky trails and crossed narrow stream beds and wide canyons. You’ve taken in vast breathtaking views and witnessed wondrous landscapes. You’ve challenged and defeated sand and shale, slippery gravel textured conglomerate hills, boulder-strewn mountainsides and almost every other imaginable obstacle.
      Your body is tired, sore and feels completely worn out. It’s begging and pleading with you to take it home for a warm bath and a long rest. You won’t give in to it. You can’t give in to it. You haven’t completed your goal or finished your course. Your mind insists that you do so before letting your body have its way.
You are now at the base of a towering wall of rock. The finish line is only to be found at its top. Your body is arguing that it is an impossible task, but you’ve made your decision in advance and your mind is determined to keep the promise. So you begin.
      You put on your rock shoes, attach your harness, secure your rack, stake your first anchor and complete a body check to make sure you haven’t forgotten some simple set-up step that could take your life.
      You’re now clinging to the granite face about twenty feet up when John and a few wall rat friends arrive at the base. They holler a few jeers at you. You stretch and grunt to maneuver to a crack. You jam a cam in the slit, clip your rope and return to methodical concentration. You are somewhat relieved that John now holds the rope below to secure your safety. You twist and contort your body around a jutting ridge in the wall and pull yourself up onto a flattop. You drill and bolt a firm anchor and establish a belay point here.
      Andrea is beginning her ascent, soon to be followed by the others. You wait and watch for a while, then begin climbing the next leg of your journey up the massive monolith. You arrive at the base of a chimney, pin your body between its walls and edge your way up the dark narrow opening. You find another flattop at its end and establish another belay point. You take a glance at your watch. You’ve been climbing for over two hours. You stare up along the sharp steep wall and into the sky. You cannot see the top, though you feel it drawing near. You chalk your hands in preparation for the

Picture Jasper at jemelww.com

last and, as you have guessed from a distance, most difficult leg of the climb.
      You move up the final length of the wall slowly and meticulously, continually careful to maintain hand and foot holds. You are forced to take more time to drill and set bolts. You find yourself often in many awkward positions. You enjoy putting your body into them; it’s part of the thrill of the course. You must traverse along the wall now to ascend a better route. You slide across the smooth flat surface periodically anchoring your rope. You discover a thin crack. You thrust in a ball nut for protection and continue in like manner along this line to the top.
      You are exhausted but elated. A new source of energy fills your being. You have conquered this great stone. You have finished a competition with yourself and won. You wait for the others, they all arrive within an hour and you celebrate your personal and group conquest together in quiet peaceful enjoyment of a panoramic view of the beautiful world around you.

Copyright  2015 Steven A. Barben

Find  Jasper pendants at jemelww.com

General References:

Pough, Frederick. 1983. Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.
         Houghton Mifflin Co.
Mottana, Annibale; Crespi, Rodolfo; and Liborio, Giuseppe. 1978. Simon & Shuster’s Guide
         to Rocks and Minerals. Simon & Shuster Inc.
Sullivan, Kevin. 1987. The Crystal Handbook. Armadillo Press.

Note: Minor sources may include, but are not limited to a variety of printed and online sources.
“An Jasper Tale” is an original story by Steven A. Barben – author of this blog.

Wisdom in Story - Two Boys and a Wounded Dove

                                     
                                            Two Boys and a Wounded Dove

     

Giving heed to the common misdeeds of youth, two boys once wounded a dove. Calling out in a silent cry of pain, the bird fell from the treetops to the ground. The boys then hurried to their vulnerable, innocent victim. One of the boys quickly picked up a large stone and said to the other:
"Our families, friends and peers will soon hear this bird's squawking and know what we've done. Let us end this bird’s cries with its death."
      However the other boy had pity on the bird's suffering and misery. "Rather," said he, "let us take the bird, care for its wounds, repair, if possible, the damage we have done and set the dove free."
      Now you may wonder what the two boys did with the dove. Oh, I'll tell you what they did.

While one boy looked upon the bird with regret, sorrow and compassion, the other boy tortured and killed the beautiful dove.
      So now then, as you consider the actions of each of these two boys, you may also wonder why they did as they did; and it should be of interest and to your benefit to ponder upon their attitudes and intentions. But it doesn't so much matter what these boys did with this dove. More important: what will you do with yours?

Find this story and many others in Wisdom's Way: Tales, Treasures, Truths at jemelww.com

Two Boys and a Wounded Dove is a story excerpt from Wisdom's Way: Tales, Treasures, Truths

Copyright 2010 Steven A. Barben

The Stone Truth - Quartz: Mother of Many Gems

     QUARTZ: MOTHER OF MANY GEMS

     Quartz is a very common stone among gems, and probably much more common than is generally known, as the name “quartz” has only been associated with some of the crystalline varieties. I can’t tell you all of the reasons why the name has kept a rather low profile, but it appears that many of the names given to different varieties of quartz were historically given before quartz itself was defined by composition and crystalline habit. Other reasons may be because it is not considered an attractive or popular name commercially, and the name could easily be over used if all or many in the quartz family of stones contained quartz in their names.      

       So what gemstones are actually quartz? The purpose of this article is to explain, clarify, and help readers understand the relationships of the many gemstones in the quartz family.

       By definition, quartz is silicon dioxide (SiO₂). It has a hardness of 7; harder than glass (with a hardness of about 5 to 5.5). It is a relatively light stone with a density of 2.65 (or 2.65 times heavier than water). Excepting a few rare minerals, every kind of mineral or stone composed of silicon dioxide is quartz.

       Quartz is divided into two general classes which are further divided into subclasses. The general classes are Crystalline Quartz and Chalcedony. Crystalline Quartz includes any variety of quartz with clearly observable hexagonal/pyramidal crystals. Chalcedony includes all amorphous, micro and cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz.

Crystalline Quartz Varieties

      

       Crystalline varieties of quartz in the gem world are transparent to translucent, and are of generally higher value than the Chalcedony varieties, especially when exhibiting consistent and rich color saturation, and/or are faceted. They are usually formed under volcanic or hydrothermal (superheated water) conditions, followed by relatively slow cooling. The sub classes are defined simply by crystal size.

Quartz Crystal at jemelww.com

       In the large crystal class, each stone type has its own name. Some stones have still retained the quartz name. These include Quartz Crystal (clear variety), which is often instead called Rock Crystal or simply just “Crystal”; Rose Quartz (pink variety); Smoky Quartz (grey, brown, or black variety); Rutilated Quartz, (rutile crystals within clear quartz); Tourmalinated Quartz (tourmaline crystals within clear quartz); and Dendritic Quartz (dendritic manganese or other moss-like inclusions within clear quartz). Also in the large crystal class are Amethyst (lavender to purple variety), and Citrine (golden yellow to yellow-orange variety).

       Generally, the small crystal class is simply called Drusy or Druzy. Originally drusy was defined as crusts of tiny crystals lining the inside of an agate or rhyolite geode, but the term has expanded to include many kinds of tiny crystal crusts with no regard to their origin or kind of formation. This has sometimes led to more specific distinguishing names such as agate drusy or drusy chalcedony. While the term drusy alone is commonly understood to mean a fine quartz crystal crust, because of an increased variety of small crystal crusts, it is often further clarified by adding a stone name either before or after the term, such as amethyst drusy or drusy quartz. There are many kinds of crystal crusts called drusy, including minerals outside the quartz family. Pyrite drusy is one example. Crystals on a drusy stone typically have a size range from fine to coarse sand. Drusy stones are valued mostly for their sparkling or shimmering surface.

      

Chalcedony Varieties

       Chalcedony varieties of quartz in the gem world are typically translucent to opaque. They may be formed under volcanic or hydrothermal (superheated water) conditions, followed by relatively rapid cooling; or in either sedimentary or metamorphic environments. The subclasses are Chalcedony, Agate, and Jasper with some few stones somewhat associated with one of these classes, but nevertheless in classes of their own.

Brown Chalcedony Rose at jemelww.com

       The general Chalcedony class includes most stones that are not further defined by either the agate or jasper classes. White, Brown, and Black Chalcedony, and Chalcedony Roses (uniquely shaped bubbled and rippled free form stones) are part of this class, as well as Carnelian (orange to orange brown), Blue Chalcedony (light blue to medium blue-grey), and Chrysoprase (green to yellow-green). All of these stones are typically translucent to some degree and often appear to radiate light or have a glowing effect.

       There is some confusion in distinguishing the differences between the Agate and Jasper subclasses in reference to historical, modern, and commercial definitions (a topic for further discussion), but agate is usually defined as cryptocrystalline (fine fibrous crystal structure) quartz, translucent to opaque, with an ordered pattern of lines, bands, layers, concentric circles, etc. The Agate subclass includes: Botswana Agate (fine concentric lines of clear, white, brown and grey); Blue Lace Agate (alternating bands of different shades of light blue); Brazilian Agate (Bands of varying shades of translucent grey or brown), and a great many others – too many to list.

           

Bloodstone at jemelww.com

The Jasper subclass is usually defined as amorphous to microcrystalline quartz, opaque (no light can pass through), with either random, disordered pattern, or no pattern at all. Some jaspers may be cryptocrystalline as well, but since they are opaque, the cryptocrystalline structure cannot be observed. The Jasper subclass includes: Red, Yellow, or Green Jasper; Bloodstone (green with red spots and splotches); Picture Jasper (random wavy patterns of yellow-tan, brown and black); and a great many others – also too many to list.

       A few stones generally fall under the Chalcedony class, but do not quite fit into any of the sub- classes. These include replacement stones such as Petrified Wood (ancient wood replaced by quartz – var, jasper) and Tiger’s Eye (fibrous crystals of crocidolite, riebeckite, or other asbestos like minerals replaced by quartz); and metamorphic quartz (quartzite) gem called Aventurine (green, red, white, or orange-coral color with sparkling flecks of tiny mica or goethite crystals)

           

Copyright 2015 Steven A. Barben

General References

Pough, Frederick. 1983. Peterson Field Guides: A Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.

        Houghton Mifflin Co.

Mottana, Annibale; Crespi, Rodolfo; and Liborio, Giuseppe. 1978. Simon & Shuster’s                  Guide  to Rocks and Minerals. Simon & Shuster Inc.

Note: Minor sources may include, but are not limited to a variety of printed and online sources.