Red jasper is an opaque, microcrystalline variety of quartz, colored red by iron oxide impurities. It typically forms in massive, fine-grained deposits and is highly valued by lapidary artists for its ability to take a high, glass-like polish.
Is this red jasper?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch red jasper with a known reference. Red Jasper sits at Mohs 6.5-7, softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Streak: white.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Luster: vitreous.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: red, red-brown, brick red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: massive.
Often confused with
Red Jasper vs. its common look-alikes, and how to tell them apart in the field.
How to tell apart: Red Jasper is noticeably harder (Mohs 6.5-7 vs. 2-2.5); streak differs, so Red Jasper leaves white, Cinnabar leaves scarlet; luster reads vitreous on Red Jasper and adamantine, inclining to metallic when dark; dull in friable material on Cinnabar.
Often found alongside red jasper
Minerals reported to co-occur with red jasper. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5-7
- Density
- 2.58-2.91 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Opaque
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Massive
- Cleavage
- None
- Rarity
- Common
- Uses
- Lapidary, Decorative, Collector
- Host rock
- sedimentary veins and nodules
Where rockhounds find red jasper
11 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- India
- Madagascar
- South Africa
- USA
- Brazil
Field-hunting tip
Where it forms: sedimentary veins and nodules. If you start seeing quartz, chalcedony, hematite in float, you are in the right ground. Typical habit: massive. Train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Arizona, Oregon, Georgia. Start trip planning there.
Common questions
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Find red jasper on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
