This is one of the nicest-looking stones that I have ever found or seen. It is found on Vancouver Island. The colors are strong red and orange in nice contrast with green to grey. This rock is essentially a jasper breccia and a manganese deposit. The specimen shown above is about 50 cm, or 20 inches long and about 20 lbs. It compares a little visually to the Hornitos Poppy Jasper of California but does not polish as well.
I have worked the rock by cutting and polishing it. So far, the results are unfortunately not a high-gloss polish, as this rock formed at abyssal depths in the ocean from tiny shells of sea critters. The rock was uplifted and mineralized, then eroded by glaciers and time, and finally blasted by dynamite along a logging road so it is porous and fractured. The quality will likely improve with depth. I have now worked several pieces and I am still working on techniques of removing rock-saw oil and filling pore space as well as polishing techniques. I have found that when the rock has the “wet” look, it looks fantastic. The specimen shown above is a large piece that was fully exposed along the logging road. I ground down the surface and have done some polishing but not much. I have coated the specimen with Hxtal, which allows the colors and depth of the piece to show up vividly. My goal is to refine the process so that I can make the rock look its best.
There is a lot of this material available from one location only. The site is quarry-able with large pieces available for tables etc., although I am not in a position to do any significant quarry work at this time. The jasper compares somewhat with the Morgan Hill and Hornitos Poppy Jaspers of California but dos not take on as nice a polish. It compares well in terms of texture with Maligano Jasper from Indonesia.
Mostly polished piece of Monet Jasper Stone. Much of the grey material to the left is actually manganese. The orange and red stand out in nice contrast to the grey background. In some areas the red has “bled” through the zone and around some of the jasper fragments. This piece is about 7 inches across.This is a cut piece with no sanding done but it has been sprayed. Note the beautiful colors and contrast but also fractures due to exposure over many years. This piece is about 10 inches across. Polished piece of Monet Jasper Stone with light coating of paraffin wax. Six inches across.This is the reason I am calling this rock Monet Jasper Stone. The photo to the left is a close-up of the specimen above. This texture reminded me of a painting and I found a random photo online of one of famous Monet’s paintings (one of the poppy paintings) and the textures and even the colors are similar. Comparison of Monet Jasper Stone (center) to Puddingstone from India (left) and Puddingstone from Michigan to the right. I think the Monet Jasper Stone compares well to these two famous localities. It is calmer than the India stone and has more color and depth than the Michigan stone. The two pudding stones are conglomerate, whereas the Monet Jasper Stone is a breccia.Comparison of Monet Jasper to Maligano Jasper. Maligano Jasper is from Indonesia and is apparently fairly new to the market whereas Monet Jasper is as of yet unknown. I like this comparison in terms of textures. I believe the Maligano piece has a better overall polish but is not at colored and doesn’t have the same depth as the Monet. Please note that this is a screenshot of two different photos – I have not yet photographed these two specimens together but will shortlyDirect comparison of Monet Jasper to Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper from California. Please note that the poppy jasper is not fully polished; there are still some scratches that I desire to get out
2 replies on “Monet Jasper Stone”
Hi, I would love to purchase some of your lovely Money Jasper from you, I am from Montreal but in the Nanaimo atra for another week, until July 29th. Please give me a call (514) 943-7299
Hi Simona Thanks so much for contacting us and yes, we can meet up shortly! We do have material ready to sell, just not much posted on this web page yet.
2 replies on “Monet Jasper Stone”
Hi, I would love to purchase some of your lovely Money Jasper from you, I am from Montreal but in the Nanaimo atra for another week, until July 29th. Please give me a call (514) 943-7299
Hi Simona Thanks so much for contacting us and yes, we can meet up shortly! We do have material ready to sell, just not much posted on this web page yet.