Bumblebee Jasper is one of my very favorite minerals. Personally I prefer the rough over the finished jewelry or cabochons. But what exactly is bumblebee jasper?
Firstly, the beautiful material comes from Mount Papandayan in Indonesia, a 150 mile drive southeast from Jakarta. It is rare stuff on the world market.
Now for the surprise. Bumblebee jasper is not actually a jasper at all. That is just how it was marketed when it hit the market a few years. It actually contains no quartz at all. Bumblebee jasper is actually an agate. A beautiful combination of volcanic matter, anhydrite, hematite, orpiment, sulfur, angelite, arsenic. The material is soft, with a Mohs hardness of 5 or below. The porous rock is easily cut and polished.
Showing posts with label bumblebee jasper is agate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bumblebee jasper is agate. Show all posts
Friday, February 16, 2018
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