How it is formed: Discovered and only found in northwestern Madagascar, ocean jasper is of the chalcedony family, round in shape and found in rhyolite, a volcanic rock high in silica content. Chalcedony is considered the mother stone of many semi-precious gems, and agate and Jasper are both forms of chalcedony which all have microcrystals that can be seen under only a microscope, which in scientific terms is referred to as microcrystalline quartz. It is believed the origin of ocean jasper was first specifically mentioned by Alfred Lacroix in his book “Mineralogy of Madagascar,” published in 1922. Overlooked for almost a century, it was rediscovered in 1999 in Maravato, Madagascar due to a low tide revealing its banded design. It is collected using shallow mining in trenches dug into the dirt. The name ocean jasper is actually trademarked by Paul Obeniche and Eugene Mueller, owners of the Gem Shop in Tucson, AZ

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Color: opaque, normally green & white but also can be red, yellow, pink or black with unique circle banding in its design.

Mohs Scale: 7

Compound: silicon dioxide SiO2 & rhyolit