Table of Contents
What is jasper? What are the characteristics?
The structure of jasper is meticulous and delicate, with a warm and moist luster. Its structure is a fine interweaving of fibers. The color of jasper is preferably emerald green. Dots of black spots can often be seen in its color. This is the innate quality of jasper. The defects that come from it are also one of the important basis for identification.
The color of dyed jasper is often very dull, as if floating on the jade surface, and most of them have no naturally distributed black spots.
Jasper contains black or green spots, which are related to the mineral elements contained in jasper. Its main mineral components are tremolite and actinolite, and it contains relatively large amounts of chromium, iron, calcium, aluminum and other mineral elements.
The black spots in jasper are formed by the accumulation of iron elements. The more iron there is, the darker the green color will be, so the green will be richer where there are black spots.
It is of course the best if jasper has no black spots, but it is normal to have black spots, which is also an important feature to identify its authenticity.
Some jaspers with a lighter green color, such as duck egg green, will have fewer black spots, but spinach green with a richer green color will rarely have any black spots.
If jasper has been chemically treated, it will often leave a chemical smell, which can often still be smelled after several months. However, natural jasper has no smell.
The hardness of real jasper is higher than that of fake jasper, so it cannot be scratched with a knife, while fake materials generally have low hardness and can be scratched by a knife. In addition, there is a specific gravity test. Natural jasper has a large specific gravity and a large weight. It feels pressed when held in the hand, while fake materials often make people feel very light.
What are gemstones?
There are also a few gems that are natural single mineral aggregates, such as opal, lapis lazuli, and some organic substances, such as amber, pearls, corals, and ivory, which are also included in the broad category of gems. They are also called biological gemstones. Jade is another concept. It is composed of countless tiny crystals that cannot be seen by our naked eyes. Only under a high-power electron microscope can we see its structure clearly. Therefore, people call jade a cryptocrystalline mineral. In a broad sense, jade is called a cryptocrystalline mineral. It is said that the collection of these tiny crystals can be called jade.
is jasper a gemstone?
Jasper is not a gemstone in the strict sense, but it is a very precious stone material.
The definition and characteristics of jasper
Jasper is an opaque or slightly transparent stone whose main component is calcium magnesium iron silicate. Its color shows a greenish-blue hue, just like the clouds in the blue sky, so it is called the “treasure among jade”.
Jasper has very high toughness and hardness, which makes it a very valuable material. In ancient China, jasper was used as the imperial jade for the emperor and nobles, and became one of the favorite materials of literati.
Definition and classification of gemstones
Gemstones refer to precious stones that can be used as jewelry decoration and are classified mainly according to their characteristics such as hardness, transparency, color and purity.
According to the standards of the International Gemological Society, eight kinds of stones, including gemstone, gemstone quartz, gemstone garnet, gemstone sapphire, gemstone ruby, gemstone emerald, gemstone opal and gemstone pearl, are gemstones.
Is jasper a gemstone?
Although jasper is a very high-quality stone, it is not considered a gemstone. Because its hardness and transparency are not as good as those stones recognized as gemstones, such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires, etc.
But it is worth noting that jasper occupies a unique position in traditional Chinese culture, similar to the category of luxury goods. It can be regarded as a kind of jade, and jade is a special kind of gemstone.
Application areas of jasper
Although jasper is not strictly a gemstone, it is still very valuable in the production of jewelry and handicrafts. Many jewelry designers and craftsmen choose to use jasper to make exquisite decorations, such as bracelets, necklaces, pendants, etc.
In addition, jasper is often used to make the Four Treasures of the Study and large-scale sculptures. Because it not only looks beautiful and noble, but its hardness and toughness also make it very suitable for complex and detailed carving work.
in conclusion
Although jasper does not belong to the category of gemstones, it is still a very precious stone. In traditional Chinese culture, jasper plays a very important role and is widely used in the production of culture and art, jewelry and handicrafts.
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