How many times can you say a rock delights and amazes the senses? It's a rock for petes sake!! Perhaps I can change your mind. Everytime I walk a customer through the displays at Beaver Valley Stone we get to one section where they have a nice feature rock called 'Red Jasper'. The reactions are usually "ohhhh", "wowwww". I really like that. I thought to myself where do these rocks actually come from? I know where most of the natural stones come from at Beaver come from but Red Jasper is not one of them. Further research was definately needed. Red jasper rocks are comprised of Jaspilite, see below.
jas·pi·lite (jas′pə līt′)
noun
Chemical Formula: Fe2O3, Iron Oxide
Hematite is an important ore of iron and its blood red color (in the powdered form) lends itself well to use as a pigment. Hematite gets its name from a Greek word meaning blood-like because of the color of its powder. Ancient superstition held that large deposits of hematite formed from battles that were fought and the subsequent blood that flowed into the ground. Crystals of Hematite are considered rare and are sought after by collectors as are fine Kidney Ore specimens.
So there you have it. If you want a nice feature rock to stand out in that special place of your landscape. Red jasper might just fit the bill. They're very unique and come from the back woods of Sudbury, Ontario.
