Jasper is generally used for jewellry and ornamentation. It has a dull lustre but takes a fine polish. Its hardness and other physical properties are those of quartz. The name jasper has been derived from the Greek word Jaspis.

Jasper is considered a Power Stone and a Protection Stone. Jasper gives the courage to speak out and have personal independence. It`s a stone of the earth, and therefore a very `grounding` stone. All Jaspers have excellent protective energies, although it is not the `quick energy lift` of others. It is the gemstone popularly known as solid as rock. Jasper is a stone that works slowly, providing constant, slow, deliberate energy, especially good in time of needed change without the chaos a total upheaval would cause. This is usually a good stone for working with shy or timid people who need change.

Jasper was once considered a Warriors Stone, so it knows of loyalty, inner strength, and standing up for what one believe in. As a matter of fact this is a power stone for those who stand for justice and fair play, especially useful for those whose job it is rectify unjust situations. This is the ideal stone for lawyers, advocates, judges, attorneys, para-legal, Sheriff, police officers, defenders, and soldiers. The stone generally protects from other people, forces, and from you. It can keep one from being carried away, or lead astray, and being diverted from the goals. It helps in preparation for conflict, either physical or emotional. Jasper is never gifted to any anniversary.

Color of Jasper
Jasper exhibits various colors, but chiefly brick red to brownish red is prominent. It owes its color to admixed hematite, but when it occurs with clay admixed, the color is a yellowish white or gray, or with goethite, a brown or yellow. Often jasper is multicolored. All colors of Jasper will help balance the vibrations of the body. Jasper is slow to show a change to the person. But as a matter of fact this is a basic `good` stone that one should always have it on hand.

Healing properties of Jasper
It is a nurturing stone, a good stone for the leopard, Gemstoneshealers to use on the behalf of others. This is used for people in counseling or therapy, who want to overcome addictions or compulsive behavior, and gather up their strength for the battles ahead. Medicinal values were long attributed to jasper, including a belief that wearing it strengthened the stomach. Jasper was also believed to cure gynecological problems. Leopard skin Jasper is said to bring one what they need. Poppy Jasper is said to help bring joy into life whereas Opalite Jasper is said to help one sleep. Jasper was thought to drive away evil spirits and protect against snake and spider bites.

The polish on jasper will often be washed away in water. That is why jasper jewelry should be cleaned with a soft dry cloth. In ancient writings, the term jasper was chiefly applied to translucent and brightly colored stones, especially chalcedony, but also was applied to the opaque jasper. Jasper was known as the great `rain-bringer` in the fourth century.

Rubbing the alloys on the stone, called a touchstone, produces a streak the color of which determines the gold content within one part in one hundred. Jasper is one of the gemstones that used in commesso, also called florentine mosaic. Commesso is a technique of fashioning pictures with thin, cut-to-shape pieces of brightly colored, semiprecious stones, developed in Florence in the late 16th century. The stones most commonly used are agates, quartzes, chalcedonies, jaspers, granites, porphyries, petrified woods, and lapis lazuli. Commesso pictures mainly used for tabletops and small wall panels` ranges from emblematic and floral subjects to landscapes. As this is a very pretty, inexpensive gemstone. It is usually worn as beads or cabochon jewelry.

Red Jasper
This is a strong protection gemstone. Red jasper is Red Jasper, Gemstoneknown to protect against hazards of the night. This is a lucky stone for actors, which is one of the oldest known gemstones. It is mentioned in the Bible several times. Jasper is a strong securing gemstone that is very stable. It is a powerful protection against things that are not good for someone and it also eases emotional stresses, making it a wonderful gemstone to have in the home. Jasper gives the courage to speak out and have personal independence. It also protects from fears in the night. Red jasper is thought to help balance the energy in the body. Red Jasper helps with the sense of smell. It also promotes physical energy. In some Native American cultures red jasper is considered to be the symbolic blood of the earth, and it`s generally thought to be one of the best stones for connecting with the deep, stabilizing energies of the earth. In the chakra system red relates to emotions, and of all the red stones it is the least volatile. It is considered an emotionally calming stone, and can be an excellent stone for either those who are hypersensitive to crystalline energy and find it difficult to work with, or for those who like change to be a gradual, unfolding process. Red Jasper is available in tumbled stones as well as animal totems.