Blue Mountain Jasper Slab from Oregon

A rare and beautiful picture jasper from Blue Mountain in Malheur County in the southeast corner of Oregon, featuring orbs and deep rich blues. An opaque variety of cryptocrystalline quartz (chalcedony), jasper is found worldwide. It owes its opacity and color to its incorporation of varying amounts of other minerals. Red to brown jasper is colored by hematite, yellow jasper by clay, and goethite can make it brown or yellow. There are many varieties of jasper including picture, brecciated, and leopard skin. Oregon is famous for its wide varieties of picture jasper. Other deposits are found in the USA, Mexico, and Africa. Metaphysically, jasper imparts determination and courage.