Ocean Jasper

Ocean Jasper is a silicon dioxide mineral that occurs in highly silicified rhyolite.
This means that it is in the Quartz family and just like all other Jaspers it has a hardness of 6.5 to 7. Ocean Jasper is sometimes called Orbicular Jasper, a broad term given to several Jaspers displaying perfect circles throughout the piece. The peculiar orbs or "bull's eye" patterns are caused when Quartz and feldspar crystallize in radial aggregates of needle shaped crystals. A few of these other Orbicular Jaspers are Poppy Jasper and Leopard Skin Jasper. Many of these other orbicular jaspers are found in various locations throughout the world, however none are as rare as Ocean Jasper! Only found in one locale in the world – off the northwest coast of Madagascar.


Another exceptional quality of Ocean Jasper is translucency. Many specimens are opaque and still very beautiful while others, when held in front of a strong light source, display what can only be described as another world! When viewed in front of a bright light the translucent, clear, or just foggy background illuminates and displays the contrasting solid perfect circles –the orbs- which then reveal exactly why Ocean Jasper is sometimes called "Fish Eye Jasper". These solid, soft looking spheres appear suspended in the illuminated quartz, and they can make one tempted to reach in and try to touch them!