Snakeskin Jasper
Jasper is a metamorphic rock formed when volcanic ash is cemented into a solid material. The result is a dense, opaque variety of Quartz that occurs in nodules or as fillings in fissures in nearly every color.
Jasper can be found all over the world, and historically is traceable to all ancient peoples and civilizations. Its name is derived from the Greek iaspis, meaning “agate,” the Assyrian ashpu, and the Hebrew jashpeh. To the medieval world and the Native Americans, Jasper was “the rain bringer”.
There is a wide variety of Jaspers, characterized by color, form, and similarities to places or animals found in nature.
Snakeskin Jasper is a red and white banded variety naturally colored by oxides of iron. It is extracted from the Weeli Wolli Iron Formation in western Australia, which has an age around 2.5 billion years old and is one of the largest deposits of iron in the world.
It is called Snakeskin Jasper because of its striking banded pattern produced by the alternating layers of heavy iron.