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JASPER.
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105
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nish a great deal of this, and also of the opaline jasper, which is reckoned amongst jewels.
6.
Common Jasper.—Is red and brown, opaque, not very hard, and of variable
brightness. Under the action of the blow-pipe it does not melt, but
loses colour. It takes a fine polish, and is found in Scotland,
England, Germany, and Sicily.
7. Heliotrope Jasper.—The name of this stone comes from the Greek ήλιος, sun, and τρέπω, to turn. The
ancients believed that, when placed in water, it reflected the image
of the sun as red as blood. They even used it as a means of observing
the solar eclipses, as we do with smoked glass. It is well known how
the ancients loved the marvellous, and therefore this stone was highly
esteemed by them. Although similar to the sanguineous jasper in having
red spots, it is easy to distinguish it as being of a brighter green,
tending to azure.
When thinned it becomes translucent, and has a very beautiful effect when worked -with taste.
It
is found in the mountains of La Giumella and of La Valle, in Val di
Fassa in Upper Italy, together with sanguineous jasper. Jasper of every
kind, on account of its hardness and the quality of its texture
rendering it suitable for all kinds of intaglio and relievo work, has
been used for this purpose from remote times to the present day.
Therefore
antique engravings on this gem are not rare. Even rings and little
images in jasper are found in the excavations of ancient monuments.
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