Leopard Jasper
Quartz & Crystal Family
Leopard jasper is a commercial name usually applied to spotted orbicular or spherulitic rhyolite rather than true jasper. Its rounded cream, tan, brown, and dark patterns record structures in a silica-rich volcanic rock, not a single mineral species.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Orbicular rhyolite
- Scientific or material identity
- Jasper (opaque microcrystalline quartz)
- Classification
- Rock or mixed mineral material
- Aliases or trade names
- Leopard-skin jasper · Leopard-spot jasper
- Composition or formula
- SiO₂ with mineral inclusions
- Crystal system or structure
- Aggregate or composite structure
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Can form in more than one geological environment, or combines several materials.
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5 to 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.58 to 2.91
Origins
Mexico
Appearance & optical properties
tan and cream jasper with dark leopard-like spots.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- The high-contrast spots are displayed in polished cabochons, beads, spheres, carvings, and small ornamental objects.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Leopard Jasper jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Leopard's Gaze Ring
Ring
An imagined ring set with one spotted stone like an eye. Leopard jasper is named for its dark spots on a tan ground.
Spotted Huntress Pendant
Pendant
An imagined pendant shaped as a feline head around a single cabochon. The spotted stone becomes the creature's marking.
Savanna Crown
Tiara
An imagined tiara of grass-blade prongs, each tipped with a small spotted stone. It imagines the savanna in gold and jasper.
Leopard Spot Torc
Necklace
An imagined open neck ring of twisted rose gold whose two ends hold round beads of leopard jasper, cream stone spotted with dark rings.
Leopard Queen's Armlet
Bracelet
An imagined gold armlet in the shape of a coiled leopard, its body inlaid with spotted leopard jasper.