The Gemstone Ocean Jasper

by true2source

Article by Stone Mania

Ocean Jasper comes exclusively from the northwest coast of the African island of Madagascar. Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island which was until about two million years ago, part of the African continent. Around 75% of the plants, animals, minerals and gemstones found in Madagascar are endemic to the island meaning they can be found nowhere else in the world. One example is Ocean Jasper but sadly, it is now 'mined out' meaning there is little or no gem grade material left to mine. This will inevitably result in Ocean Jasper becoming more expensive and over time, it will also become much rarer.

Ocean Jasper is a variety of Orbicular Jasper which can be found in a wide range of colours and typically, gemstones tend to exhibit spherical orb like markings. Although Orbicular Jasper can be found in abundance in many locations around the world, Ocean Jasper is unique to Madagascar.

This unique gemstone originally came to light in the 1950's but the exact location of the mine could not at that time be conclusively identified. It was quickly forgotten about and interest was not aroused again until a picture of a particularly beautiful specimen was published in an encyclopaedia of minerals. This sparked off another hunt for the illusive mine and finally in 1998, Ocean Jasper was re-discovered in an extremely isolated area on the northwest coastline of the island. The reason for the deposit having been kept hidden for so long, was because it was only exposed during low tide. Due to the complete lack of roads, the only access to the mine was by boat hence when mining initially began, it was not possible to use heavy lifting equipment or industrial machinery so all mining had to be done entirely by hand. Rocks were subsequently transported by boat to a more suitable location where they could be cut and polished.

Ocean Jasper made its first official appearance in January 2000 at the International Gem and Mineral show in Tucson Arizona but sadly by 2006, the mine was already exhau! sted.

The distinctive colours often seen in these gemstones are as a result of many different minerals. The red is iron or Hematite, yellow or grey is clay and brown is usually Goethite. Very occasionally twinkling crystals can also be seen on the surface of the gemstone and these are known as druzy and are the result of Quartz formations. Gemstones can be opaque or translucent and when held up against a bright light, those which are translucent boast fascinating patterns and markings within the illuminated Quartz.

With regards to metaphysical properties and crystal healing, Ocean Jasper is said to promote the enjoyment of life whilst releasing negativity and stress. Crystals encourage relaxation, positive self expression and healing on both a physical and emotional level. Ocean Jasper is associated with the Earth element and the solar plexus. It radiates positive energy which can result in the ability to feel, speak and act in a more positive manner. It can help one to accept responsibility and is also said to increase patience. Other benefits include helping with the regeneration of tissues in the body, the healing of organs, balancing the glandular system, stabilizing the thyroid and assisting the endocrine system.

Ocean Jasper is a truly unique and magnificent semi precious gem which is perfect for use in jewellry due to its hardness and also because of the many colours, patterns and markings that each piece can exhibit.

It is graded 6.5 to 7 on Mohs scale of mineral hardness.

About the Author

Stone Mania proudly presents a unique collection of tantalizing jewellery featuring some of the world's finest and most stunning gemstones. All of our jewelry has been crafted entirely by hand by highly trained artisans. Not only do we boast the largest collection of gemstone pendants online, but we also have as many as one hundred and fifty different gemstone varieties to choose from.

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