Jasper is a real stone, opaque quartz colored by other minerals, and it does come in yellow. But "yellow jasper" is a loose bead-trade name, so some beads are another stone or dyed. We do not carry it.
Quartz (microcrystalline) · Jasper
Yellow Jasper
Jaspe amarillo
- Palette
- Yellow Brown
- Mined in
- United States, Russia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Australia, Romania, Ukraine, China, United Kingdom
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- Greek iaspis, meaning spotted or speckled stone
- Also sold as
- mustard jasper, lemon jasper (loose trade use)
- Intention
- Strength Protection
- Looking for
- Willpower Grounding Courage
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Yellow jasper is often sold as natural, but dyed yellow jasper exists and the name is also used for other stones. Ask the seller.
Not in our pieces now
32,000 YEARS
Chalcedony, the fine-grained quartz family jasper belongs to, was already being made into tools in Central Australia about 32,000 years ago.
MEHRGARH
Green jasper was used for bow drills at Mehrgarh around the 4th to 5th millennium BC.
TILLYA-TEPE
First-century objects of chalcedony from Tillya-tepe in Afghanistan were often used for seal impressions because hot wax would not stick to them.
What it is
Opaque jasper in lemon, mustard or sand yellow, often mottled or veined with brown or white, with a smooth waxy shine when polished. Real jasper is fine-grained quartz colored by other minerals. Bead sellers use "yellow jasper" loosely, so a bright, even yellow bead may be a different or softer stone, or dyed.
What gives it its color
Jasper takes its colors from the minerals in the sediment or volcanic ash it formed from, with iron giving the reds, and occasionally yellow jasper is dyed.
Where it comes from
Jasper is found worldwide, with important deposits in India, Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, Madagascar, Australia, Brazil and the western United States (Oregon, Idaho, California).
In history
Jasper is one of the oldest carving stones: Minoan craftsmen cut jasper seals at Knossos about 1800 BC, and a red jasper torso comes from the Bronze Age city of Harappa. Pliny the Elder wrote that jasper served as a signet for sealing documents, and as late as the 1800s Russian carvers made a goat-headed basket of red jasper now in the Kremlin Armoury.
What's said about it
In crystal lore, yellow jasper is the stone people keep for perseverance. Jasper in general is thought of as steadying and grounding.
In older gem lore, jasper was trusted to bring rain and to keep away harm. Those accounts speak of green jasper.
People wear it as a bracelet or keep it in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, held in either hand, or in a meditation space.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, yellow jasper is paired with the solar plexus chakra, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: on the wrist, in a pocket, held in either hand. People reach for it when they want willpower, grounding, courage, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraSolar Plexus
ZodiacAries, Virgo
ElementFire
Also calledmustard jasper, lemon jasper (loose trade use)
Care
- Hard (Mohs 6.5 to 7) for a true jasper, but if the bead turns out to be a softer stone, handle it gently.
- Wipe with a soft cloth and mild soapy water, then dry.
- Avoid harsh chemicals and ultrasonic cleaners, and keep it apart from harder stones such as sapphire.
- A bright, even yellow that leaves color on a damp cloth is dye; stop washing it and ask the seller.
How to tell what you have
- Yellow jasper is a trade name that may mean natural yellow jasper, dyed jasper, or other yellow stone such as dyed howlite, and it varies by lot.
- Look for bright, even yellow, and dye in the drill hole or cracks; natural jasper has mottled dull tones.
Questions people ask at our table
What is yellow jasper?
Jasper is an opaque, fine-grained form of quartz colored by other minerals, and it does come in yellow. In the bead trade, though, the name is used loosely, so ask the seller what the stone really is.
Is it the same as lemon jasper?
Possibly, but we could not confirm it. Lemon jasper, which we carry, is itself a trade name we could not tie to one mineral. Neither name is a reliable guide, because "jasper" is also used for pale serpentine.
Is yellow jasper dyed?
Natural jasper is usually mottled or veined. A very bright, perfectly even yellow can be dyed, so look for color pooling in cracks and ask the seller.
How hard is it?
True jasper is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, hard enough for everyday wear. A bead sold as yellow jasper that scratches easily is probably a softer stone.
Where does it come from?
Jasper is found in many countries, including the United States, Russia, Indonesia and Madagascar. Yellow shades are one of its common colors.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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