A polished kambaba jasper sphere from Madagascar, olive to forest green marked with dark concentric rings. The name is doubly misleading: it is not a true jasper, and it is not the fossil it is often sold as. It is a rhyolite, a fine-grained volcanic rock that formed when lava cooled quickly at the surface. Most of the stone is quartz and feldspar, coloured green by aegirine, with the dark orbs made of amphibole needles fanning out in circles. Knowing what it actually is takes nothing away from how it looks; it just means you own the real story.
Rock: Kambaba jasper (rhyolite; quartz, feldspar, aegirine, amphibole)
Also known as: Crocodile jasper
Origin: Bongolava region, Madagascar
Hardness: 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale; hard and durable
Treatment: None
Diameter: 7.42 cm
Weight: 570 g
Note: Acrylic stand included (not the stand shown in the photo).
You'll receive the exact piece photographed.