Polished Ocean Jasper Sphere 

Ocean jasper which comes from Madagascar is now completely mined out.  The original deposit was in Kabamby but details of the location were poorly documented.  With the mine being in a remote location and only being visible at low tide, it was quickly forgotten about.

After a photograph of ocean jasper was published in a French encyclopedia of minerals in 1977, it sparked new interest in finding the mine.  It was subsequently rediscovered in 1999.

By 2006 very little material from Kabamby was left.  Although other small veins of ocean jasper were discovered elsewhere in the country, all are now mined out.  For this reason finding any nice material can be extremely difficult.  

This beautiful ocean jasper sphere is standing on a polished hematite ring.  Hematite is brittle so must be handled carefully.  The ring is an ideal support for most mineral spheres.