These colored inclusions are caused by other minerals and impurities which often create unusual patterns unique to each gemstone. Red jasper can come in either solid red coloring or with patterns and flecks of grey and brown. Colors range from bright rusty red to a more faded brownish-red. Red jasper is an opaque gemstone with bright red coloring due to the presence of iron oxide. With a hardness rating of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, you can keep red jasper close to you in the form of jewelry or ornaments. Known as the stone of endurance or the stone of stability, red jasper encourages strength and endurance during stressful times. Other jasper colors include green, blue, black, yellow, and orange. Red jasper gemstones are the most common of all the jasper varieties. The name jasper is derived from the old French word “jaspre” and the Latin word “iaspidem” which translates to spotted or speckled stone. Red Jasper is an opaque stone of the mineral class chalcedony from the microcrystalline variety of quartz. With its deep connections to mother earth, red jasper is an amazing stone to keep close by for its grounding nature. Red jasper gemstones make excellent gifts as they can be used by anyone in need of energizing and healing both physically and emotionally. Whether you’re drawn to the vibrant tones of rust-red or are passionate about the earthy terracotta hues, red jasper comes in many red tones to suit your every mood. In the modern context, red jasper is now used to fight personal battles by providing clarity and calm to all who seek it. It has been used since ancient times during intense battles as talismans for strength. We have a great source for New Mexico Rocks and Minerals and we carry a large variety of both finished and rough materials.Red jasper is the gemstone of endurance, healing, and nurturing.

OakRocks has been in the rock and mineral business for 30 years. See my page on Rockhounding Rules for general information on the rules of collecting rocks on various lands. New Mexico also has many areas where fossils are found too. Production of turquoise from deposits in the Cerrillos Hills, Santa Fe County the Burro Mountains and Little Hachita Mountains, Grant County the Jarilla Hills, Otero County and the Guadelupe Mountains, Eddy County can be traced to prehistoric Indians. However, since then Arizona and Nevada has surpassed it in terms of both annual and total production. Until the 1920's, New Mexico was the United States largest producer of turquoise. The finest, facet-quality moonstone in the United States comes from a deposit in Grant County. Facet-quality linardite is recovered in Socorro County. Gem-quality fluorite is produced from deposits in Bernalillo, Catron, Dona Ana, Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, Luna, Rio Arriba, Socorro, Sierra, and Taos Counties. Other Fee Dig sights to check out include:, and The only facet-quality dolomite in the United States is colorless material recovered from a deposit in New Mexico. Take the dirt access road on your right for 12 miles, following the signs to the Rockhound Area.

From Highway 70 east of Safford, Arizona approximately 50 miles, travel into New Mexico to just beyond milepost 5. The area is set aside for the non-commercial collecting of agate, jasper, and petrified wood. The Rock Hound State Park is in Luna County near Deming, New Mexico. There is actually a place in New Mexico designated for rockhounds!

Lots of lead ores came from this area, and some truly fine smithsonite! The area is covered with small mines but the most important are the Kelly, Juanite, and the Waldo-Graphic mines. One of the most profitable rock and mineral mining areas is in the Magdalena Mountains near Socorro in central New Mexico. Just to name a few: ricolite, fire agates, drusy quartz, apache tears, agates, rhyolite, quartz, and fluorite. There are lots of great places to rockhound in New Mexico and a rich variety of rocks and minerals can be found. Beautiful Magnetite and Pyrite comes from that mine. This copper mine is still operating today and is known as the Chino Copper Mine.

Copper was extracted beginning in 1804 at Santa Rita. In New Mexico numerous rock and mineral mines were developed and worked beginning in the early 1800s. In New Mexico turquoise and ochre was mined near Santa Fe in pre-Columbian times. Beads dating back to 5000 BC have been found in Iraq. Probably one of the most recognized semiprecious gemstones in existence, Turquoise, has been popular since prehistoric times. The New Mexico state gemstone is Turquoise. Varieties of agate, jasper, chert, or petrified wood are found in 15 of New Mexico's 32 counties. New Mexico is one of the richest states for finding rocks and minerals.

Types of jasper raw