W012 / Oregon

Morrisonite jasper

Locality-linked jasper/trade name

Muted green and pastel passages, healed fractures and contrasting patches can guide comparison. Several other picture jaspers can resemble individual pieces.

← Western Lapidary Materials
Morrisonite jasper — source-labelled reference specimen
Oregon source label; specific claim uncertain; modern carved arrowhead

James St. John; modern object made by Warren Whitmer · CC BY 2.0 · No changes

Source-labelled comparison, not independently authenticated deposit

Image source and provenance · License

What it is

Locality-linked jasper/trade name

What to look for

Muted green and pastel passages, healed fractures and contrasting patches can guide comparison. Several other picture jaspers can resemble individual pieces.

At the cutting bench

Inspect the actual piece for fractures, voids and cutting orientation. Deposit-specific yield and polish data are UNKNOWN.

Under the loupe

Keep the claim or bed name when known; a general Morrisonite label does not establish which working supplied a slab.

Source & collecting access

The operator dates its work to 1986–1996 and reports no later mining. That statement has not been independently checked against current records.

Status checked 2026-10-01

The market notebook

UNKNOWN — no verified completed-sales sample sufficient for a range

Market researched 2026-10-01

Open the field notes

Color comparison tags

Green, Brown/Tan, Yellow, Multicolor

Geology & evidence limits

The Gem Shop describes mining jasper veins in volcanic host rock in the Owyhee canyon area. This is an operator account, not a substitute for a mapped deposit study.

Collecting & trade history

The operator dates its work to 1986–1996 and reports no later mining. That statement has not been independently checked against current records.

Reading old-stock material

Preserve the estate label, wrapping, purchase record and associated pieces. Old-stock status alone does not authenticate origin or imply a premium.

What we know—and what we don’t

Visual resemblance is a comparison clue, not proof of material identity, locality or documented provenance. Keep source labels and estate records separate from your visual assessment.

C&C Reference Collection

Reference examples are source-labelled and do not authenticate the locality of an unlabelled specimen.

Sources & Further Reading
  1. The Gem Shop: Morrisonite history

    Operator account; independent chronology and current claims not verified

  2. The Gem Shop: USA rough collection

    Retail asking prices, not sold prices or production evidence

Cut and polish with appropriate wet methods and silica-dust controls. Historic directions and mine names are not current permission to collect.