W043 / Oregon

Deschutes picture jasper

Locality/trade-named picture material

Deschutes picture jasper can make a landscape out of a cut face. A convincing landscape still cannot tell you which ranch a slab came from.

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Reference photograph pending

What it is

Locality/trade-named picture material

What to look for

The COCC collection describes brown and tan-to-dark-brown examples. Compare patterns with Biggs and other picture jaspers; these colors are not diagnostic.

At the cutting bench

Cutting orientation changes the apparent picture. Fractures and contrast matter more than a scenic trade description.

Under the loupe

Biggs, Owyhee and other brown picture materials can resemble it. Keep Deschutes as a locality/trade attribution requiring documentary support.

Source & collecting access

Current production and collecting permission are UNKNOWN. A historic collection label does not grant access to the ranch or riverbank.

Status checked 2026-10-03

The market notebook

No verified realized-price range was established for this entry. Asking prices and sold labels are not interchangeable.

Market researched 2026-10-03

Open the field notes

Formation & evidence

The Bentley collection preserves a Miller Ranch, Deschutes River label. Deposit-specific formation, boundaries and composition have not been established in this record. Do not borrow another picture jasper’s geological account to fill that gap.

Collecting & trade context

The Bentley collection was donated in 1977 and displayed again in 2025. That collection history supports historical use of the name, but does not date the acquisition of each individual slab.

Reading an old label

Preserve labels, dates, wrapping and associated pieces. Visual resemblance, material identity, locality attribution and documented provenance are separate conclusions.

What we know—and what we don’t

Visual resemblance can narrow a comparison. Material identity, locality attribution and documented provenance need separate evidence.

C&C Reference Collection

Source-labelled reference examples are linked below. Images without explicit reuse permission are not reproduced.

Sources & Further Reading
  1. COCC: Bentley Gemstone Collection

    Institutional catalog lists Deschutes separately from Biggs. Photos useful for comparison; reuse permission not established.

Historic locality information is not current collecting permission. For cutting, use suitable dust controls and material-specific safety guidance.