Types of Jasper
Red, spotted, banded, round, fossil-bearing. Every variety explained, and why one stone can look like so many.
Few stones change as much from one piece to the next as jasper. Lay a red jasper beside a dalmatian jasper beside an ocean jasper and you'd be forgiven for thinking they had nothing in common. They share a name, a hardness and a basic chemistry. Everything else, the colour, the pattern, the places they come from and the stories attached to them, is different.
This guide covers what jasper actually is, why it varies so widely, and the main types you're likely to meet, including the four varieties we stock. Where a stone is sold as jasper but isn't strictly one, we've said so.
What Jasper Is
Jasper is an opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz, made up of microscopic quartz crystals packed so tightly that no single crystal is visible to the eye. That makes it a close relative of agate and chalcedony, and it sits in the silicate group described in our guide to mineral classes. On the Mohs scale it measures roughly 6.5 to 7, which is hard enough for everyday jewellery.
What sets jasper apart is how much else is in it. By the usual definition, jasper is quartz carrying a large share of other material, often 20 per cent or more, mostly mineral grains and iron oxides. That is why it is always opaque, where agate is often translucent, and why it comes in such a wide range of colours.
The name is old. It traces back through Latin and Greek to a word thought to come from Semitic languages, and jasper has been carved, polished and worn for thousands of years.
Why Jasper Looks So Different
Three things decide what a piece of jasper looks like.
The impurities set the colour. Iron oxides are the main cause. Hematite gives deep reds, while other iron minerals give yellows, browns and golds. Green usually comes from minerals such as chlorite. Pure quartz is colourless, so every colour in jasper is a record of what else was present when it formed.
How it formed shapes the pattern. Jasper forms when silica-rich water seeps into sediment, volcanic ash or cracked rock and slowly hardens. Silica that fills cracks can leave veins and bands. Silica that grows outward from many points can leave round, orbicular patterns. Rock that is shattered and later cemented back together gives the broken, patchwork look of breccia. If you'd like the full process, we explain it in How Crystals Form.
Where it formed leaves a signature. Different regions have different rock, different minerals and different conditions, so jasper from one locality often has a recognisable look. Many varieties are named for the place they come from or the pattern they show.
The Jasper We Stock
Four varieties of jasper are in our range, each with its own character.
The best known of all, red jasper gets its colour from iron oxide, and can run from brick red to a deep, almost brown red, sometimes with fine lines of black or cream. It has long been carried as a stone of stamina and grounding, traditionally associated with courage and steadiness in the face of effort.
Cream or pale grey, scattered with black and sometimes rust-brown spots. Dalmatian jasper is typically sourced from Mexico, and it is generally regarded as a different rock from true jasper, a feldspar-rich stone with dark mineral spots, sold under the jasper name because of how it looks and feels. It is traditionally associated with lightheartedness, loyalty and a playful kind of grounding.
Mookaite comes from Western Australia, and its swirling reds, creams, golds and mauves have an unusual origin. It formed from the silica skeletons of microscopic sea creatures called radiolarians, laid down on an ancient seabed around 100 million years ago. Strictly it is a radiolarian rock, one of the finest-grained and most colourful of those sold as jasper. It is traditionally associated with adaptability and steady, balanced energy.
A green stone marked with red, and one of the most dramatic names in the trade. The green and red patches are different minerals sitting side by side, and the stone is commonly sourced from South Africa. "Dragon's blood" is a trade name rather than a formal mineral name. It is associated with vitality and strength.
Other Jasper Varieties Worth Knowing
These are not in our range at the moment, but you will meet them in other shops and in collectors' books, so they are worth recognising.
Found in Madagascar, ocean jasper is known for its round, orbicular patterns in greens, creams, pinks and whites, as if tiny bubbles had been frozen mid-rise. The orbs form as silica crystallises outward from many separate points. It is traditionally associated with joy and calm.
Picture jasper is banded in a way that suggests landscapes: hills, horizons, a line of trees. Slices are often cut so the pattern forms a scene, which is how it earned its name. It is most closely associated with the north-western United States, and is traditionally linked to a feeling of connection with the natural world.
Orange, tan and cream with dark rings and spots that resemble a big cat's coat. Leopard skin jasper is commonly sourced from Mexico. The spots are spherulites, tiny rounded growths that form as volcanic rock cools.
A dark green stone with round, lighter green patches, from Madagascar. The patterns are the fossilised remains of ancient microbial colonies called stromatolites, and the rock is often described as billions of years old. It is usually sold as jasper, though it is better described as a fossil-bearing stone. It is traditionally associated with patience and calm.
Breccia comes from an Italian word for rubble, and brecciated jasper is exactly that: angular fragments of jasper, broken by movement in the earth and cemented back together by more silica. The result is a patchwork, often in reds, browns and golds, and it is traditionally seen as a stone of putting things back together.
Yellow jasper owes its warm colour to iron minerals and is traditionally associated with confidence and motivation. Green jasper gets its colour from minerals such as chlorite and is linked with calm and renewal.
Jasper, Agate and Chalcedony: What's the Difference?
All three are microcrystalline quartz, so they are close relatives. Chalcedony is the umbrella term. Agate is the banded, usually translucent form, and jasper is the opaque, impurity-rich form. In practice the lines blur, and a single stone can show agate-like bands alongside jasper-like opaque areas.
If a stone is opaque, richly coloured and patterned, jasper is a good guess. If it is translucent and layered, it is more likely to be agate, such as our red agate.
Choosing a Jasper
Because jasper varies so much, the best way to choose is by what you respond to. If you like a calm, uniform colour, red or yellow jasper is a good place to start. If you like pattern, dalmatian, mookaite and dragon's blood each have an unmistakable look. And if you'd rather choose by meaning, our Find Your Stone tool will narrow it down.
Every piece is natural, so no two will match exactly. That is part of the appeal of jasper, and the reason a stone you pick up in person can feel quite different from the one you saw online.
Not sure which stone suits you? Let us help you choose, or browse our science guides to see how stones like jasper come to be.
Find Your Stone The Science of CrystalsTypes of Jasper, Answered
What is jasper stone?
Jasper is an opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz that contains a high proportion of other minerals, mainly iron oxides. Those impurities give it its colours and patterns, and it measures roughly 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale.
How many types of jasper are there?
There is no fixed number, because many varieties are named for a place, a pattern or a trade name. Commonly recognised types include red, yellow, green, dalmatian, mookaite, dragon's blood, ocean, picture, leopard skin, kambaba and brecciated jasper.
Why does jasper come in so many colours?
Pure quartz is colourless, so jasper's colours come from the other minerals mixed into it. Iron oxides give reds, yellows and browns, and minerals such as chlorite give greens.
Is jasper a crystal or a stone?
Both, in a sense. Jasper is made of microscopic quartz crystals, but they are too small to see, so it looks like a solid, opaque stone rather than a single crystal with visible faces.
What is the difference between jasper and agate?
Both are microcrystalline quartz. Agate is usually translucent and banded, while jasper is opaque because of the higher proportion of other minerals within it.
Is jasper a precious or semi-precious stone?
Jasper is generally classed as a semi-precious or ornamental stone. It is valued for its colour and pattern rather than for rarity, though particular varieties and patterns can be sought after by collectors.
What does red jasper mean?
Red jasper is traditionally associated with stamina, courage and grounding. These are symbolic associations from crystal tradition rather than scientific claims.