Red jasper is a stone of many meanings and historical ties, said to hold powerful physical and spiritual protection. In ancient Egypt, red jasper stone was linked to the fertility of Mother Isis and Native Americans believed that red jasper was the blood of Mother Earth. Legend says that jasper would drive away evil spirits, protect against snake and spider bites, and even bring about rain!
Today it is known as a lucky charm for actors and is favoured for its metaphysical properties as much as its beautiful red colouring. Find out all there is to know about this fascinating type of jasper stone, from its symbolism, meaning and uses, to how much red jasper is worth.
What Is Red Jasper?
Red jasper is a microcrystalline variety of quartz with big, grainy crystals instead of the fibrous layers displayed by agate or chalcedony. It is opaque, occurs as fillings in fissures or as nodules, and is widely found all over the world. It’s pigmented due to the iron oxide process, which gives it its rich red colouring.
Is Red Jasper Rare?
Jasper stones in general are quite common. This means that most of the value of your specific stone relates to the craftsmanship, how saturated its colour is, and the intricacy of its pattern.
Is Red Jasper Expensive?
Once upon a time, red jasper stones were incredibly expensive because they were so widely sought after. These days, luckily, it’s become far more affordable.
Where Does Red Jasper Come From?
The red jasper stone comes from many places around the world, including Brazil, France, Germany, India, Russia, and the United States. You see them in cracks and veins of volcanic rocks and, interestingly, no one has ever seen jasper geodes that look like agate ones! This means that the formation of jasper gets limited to the cracks and veins percolated by solutions containing water.
Red jasper stones sometimes occur in igneous rocks, with the cracks they fill out frequently forming during tectonic activity. Because these movements go on for so long, the cracks reopen, shattering the jasper and filling the veins with even more. This is how brecciated jasper gets created. Embedded haematite and iron oxide cause the stone’s deep red colour.
How Can You Tell If Red Jasper Is Real?
To tell if a red jasper is real, try the knife test. If you’ve got a real red jasper stone, you won’t be able to scratch it with a knife as it’s incredibly hard. If you look at it under a magnifying glass or a microscope it can contain black streaks or bands of different colour variations, rather than a flat hue. There may be trace elements of minerals visible too.
What Chakra Is Red Jasper Good For?
Echoing the incredible colours of life on planet earth back to us, the red jasper stone ties to the root chakra. This particular chakra is located at the base of the spine is said to anchor us to the ground and help us stay stable. It is the foundation of our physical and spiritual energy and is responsible for our feelings of safety. Because it provides energy to all your other chakras, if it has got blocked or is out of balance, your other chakras may be out of sync too.
Does Red Jasper Have Any Particular Meaning?
Some people believe red jasper stone helps you act on your passions, behaving like a shot of adrenaline for your root chakra’s energy. It’s believed to inspire a more joyful, positive attitude by waking up and energising areas of your body that are inactive and sluggish. With its help, you should find have the motivation, inspiration, and energy to reach your full potential.
The red jasper stone’s associated metaphysical properties tie in deeply with the evolution of earth’s natural landscape over the millennia. It reminds us that our planet is far more than just dirt and sand, and is, in fact, life itself. It reflects the profound wisdom of nature and its eternal ability to adapt and change as needed. This is why it’s believed to be a wonderful stone when it comes to dealing with times of stress.
What Are the Healing Properties of Red Jasper?
Due to its truly extraordinary metaphysical properties, red jasper stones are believed to be a one-stop-shop for manifesting courage, strength, and wisdom. In the same way that a beautifully rendered landscape echoes our complex, vast ecosystem, these unique gemstones remind us to consider the priceless planetary elements that give us life.
The combination of minerals that give red jaspers stones their opaqueness and deep colours are said to make it a powerful grounding agent. In the olden days, healers and shamans wore protective amulets and talismans with red jasper stones. These gems were their seen as the connection to blood and the earth – the essence of life.
How to Use Red Jasper
There are many ways people harness the metaphysical properties of red jasper for energy treatments and healing. Adorning yourself with beautiful jewellery is the most popular choice because it lets you keep the stone close to your person. But you can also use it to decorate your home or use it when you’re meditating.
Some people also believe that red jasper is a great stone to help with sleeping. Put a red jasper stone under your pillow or keep it near you while you are sleeping. Who knows, you might wake up more refreshed than ever!
How Do You Cleanse and Charge Red Jasper?
The easiest way to cleanse your red jasper stone is to wash under lukewarm water for between 3 and 5 minutes. You can also bury it under the soil. This is believed to both cleanse and recharge it.
A Combination of Beauty and Goodness
Red jasper stones are associated with many powerful meanings and symbolism, from increasing your emotional stamina to heightening your self-confidence. All this above and beyond its sheer good looks make the stone a worthy addition to any gemstone collection.
For other attractive red stones, have a look at the List of Red Gemstones.