Ocean Jasper Palmstone

About Ocean Jasper  –

Despite the name, Ocean Jasper is really an orbicular chalcedony and microcrystalline quartz, famous for its little round 'eyes' in greens, creams, pinks and reds. Every polished piece shows a different pattern of circles and drusy pockets, which is why collectors find it so hard to choose just one.

It formed within volcanic rock, where silica-rich fluids crystallised outward from many tiny centres to build up the rings and spheres. The classic deposit lies on the north-west coast of Madagascar and could originally only be reached at low tide.

Care & Cleansing  +

Spotting a Fake  +

Cool Facts  –

Ocean jasper's orbs formed as silica-rich fluids crystallised around tiny nuclei in an ancient volcanic flow.

It comes from one stretch of coast in north-west Madagascar and could only be collected at low tide.

The original deposit was mined out around 2006, so older material is increasingly scarce.

The original Marovato deposit was so remote that early miners reached it by boat, and much of the first material came out of cliffs uncovered only at low tide.

The Science  +