Judging quality
Grade on how convincing and how well-composed the 'scene' is; cutters orient the slab to compose it. Bruneau canyon material has tighter, more contrasty patterning.
Chalcedony
Picture Jasper
Jasper whose iron staining and sediment layering read as desert landscapes — mesas, dunes, storm skies. Biggs and Bruneau material from the Pacific Northwest are the classics of the type.
Care
Hard and stable.
History & lore
The Biggs Junction deposit in Oregon was exposed by a highway flood in 1964 and is now largely inaccessible under road works.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Picture Jasper
- What is Picture Jasper?
- Jasper whose iron staining and sediment layering read as desert landscapes — mesas, dunes, storm skies. Biggs and Bruneau material from the Pacific Northwest are the classics of the type.
- How hard is Picture Jasper and what is it made of?
- Picture Jasper is a Chalcedony-family mineral with the composition SiO2. It crystallizes in the trigonal system and rates 6.5-7 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in tan, brown, cream, grey.
- Where does Picture Jasper come from?
- Notable localities for Picture Jasper include Oregon & Idaho, USA (Biggs, Bruneau, Owyhee).
- How do you tell good Picture Jasper from filler?
- Grade on how convincing and how well-composed the 'scene' is; cutters orient the slab to compose it. Bruneau canyon material has tighter, more contrasty patterning.
- How do you care for Picture Jasper?
- Hard and stable.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.