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Picture stones: Facts, lore, properties, localities, varieties, uses and images. Most of what picture stone relates to is similiar to how we percieve pictures in the clouds. Multicolored bands that form a sort of pattern that resembles pictures. This romanticism with objects that display a pattern and is recognized as a certain picture totally depends on who is viewing the patterns.
 Picture jasper is a petrified or silicated mud that dripped into gas pockets in molten lava. It became superheated and then solidified forming the unusual banded patterns which are typical of picture stone. Picture jasper or jasper occur as microcrystalline quartz which are made up of over twenty percent of foreign materials. In fact, the color and the overall appearance of the stone are determined by the presence of these foreign materials. As for instance, bright brick red which is the most common color of Jasper, owes its source to hematite. If the crystals occur in clay, then the stone acquires a yellow or brownish shade. Chalcedony the principle material of jasper is formed in several environments, generally near the surface of the earth where temperatures and pressures are relatively low. It commonly forms in the zone of alteration of lode and massive hydrothermal replacement deposits and as bodies of chert in chemical sedimentary rocks. Brown Jasper, sometimes called "picture" Jasper because of the beautiful variations in coloring, is a type of Chalcedony. It is closely related to Quartz, with the chemistry of SiO2. The color variations are from trace amounts of other minerals, usually iron and aluminum. Jasper is basically a multicolored stone with stripes and spots on it. During the time of the formation, various organic elements and mineral oxides got trapped into it that are responsible for the rendering of the stone and various kinds of unusual patterns. These patterns often take the forms of landscapes and thus the name; "picture jasper" came into existence. The name Chalcedony is from Chalcedon, an ancient Greek city of Asia Minor. Picture Stone finds reference in the ancient Assyrian, Hebrew and Greek literature, was believed to carry curative properties against snake or spider bites. In early mediaeval, it was believed that picture jasper causes rain. Beautiful Jasper, with light and dark brown markings was referred to as "Egyptian Marble". Various Native American tribes used Jasper as a rubbing stone and some called it "the rain bringer". A few pictures of the named jaspers and occurances: Biggs, Bruneau, Burrow Creek, Cripple Creek, Dalmatian, Doromite Cata, Deschutes, Imperial, Lavender, Leopard Skin, Morrisonite, Ocean, Opalite, Owyhee, Picasso, Poppy, Rain Forest, Rhyolite, Sifi, Stone Canyon, Willow Creek and Zebra. Picture stones occur worldwide and can be attributed to a few of the more famous localities such as; Montana, Utah and Wyoming are prolific locations for Brown Jasper in the U.S. In addition, fine specimens have come from Brazil, China, Uruguay and Egypt. Other colors and forms of Jasper are abundant in California, Texas and Arkansas. Many of the Jaspers pictured are either named based on mineral type or the locality they have been mined. All pictures are copyright and used for non profit, educational purposes only. Use discretion when procuring their uses elsewhere and please do not directly link to any of the images. Doing so will cause them to be removed from this site and remain useless for others to enjoy. Thank you. Tx Rockhound Sitemap: |
