Ocean Jasper Sphere (Madagascar)
Ocean jasper is a unique variety of orbicular jasper found only in Madagascar.
By 2006 very little material from the original location in Kabamby was left available to mine. Other small veins of ocean jasper were subsequently discovered but all known sources are now mined out.
Despite extensive exploration no new material has been found in Madagascar for many years. For this reason the price of ocean jasper has gradually risen.
This highly polished ocean jasper sphere is standing on a hematite ring. The mineral hematite is brittle so must be handled carefully. The ring makes an ideal support for most mineral spheres.
Please bear in mind this ocean jasper sphere has been cut from rough stone that's now considered to be relatively rare. It does have some natural indentations.
Polishing these out would mean losing a considerable amount of stone which would lead to a decrease in value.
This piece reflects light beautifully from every angle. Its colour varies from grey to bluish-grey to subtle green depending on the amount of light present.
The colours in ocean jasper are relatively stable so are unlikely to fade.
