• The main face of a wedge-shaped rock, covered in a light tan starburst pattern on a background mostly light brown with some dark drown coloration. A thin white quartz vein crosses the piece.
  • Close view of the main face of the piece, showing several more thin white quartz veins. There are also red-brow spots and rings between starburts
  • The back side of the piece, the pattern is barely visible through a dull brown layer. The starburst patterns are inverted as if eroded.
  • A side of the piece, with light yellow well-distributed starbursts on a multicolor camouflage pattern background of dark brown, brown-red, and yellow-brown.
  • Another flat side of the piece, showing inverted starbursts, a quartz vein, and colorful pattern. There is a round spot the same color as the starbursts.
  • The last side of the piece, showing the pattern and quartz vein continue through it
  • Captioned "wet," the main face of the piece while it is wet, making the starburst patterning more deep golden tan in color. Some of the starburst pattern disappears on the part with lighter brown background. The quartz vein stands out more.
  • Captioned "wet," an angled view of the sides while the piece is wet. The pattern is vibrant with golden-yellow color to the starbursts, red spotting between them, and a brown background.
  • Captioned "wet," a view of a side while wet, showing the white quartz vein standing out against the background pattern
  • Captioned "wet," a detail view of the piece while wet, showing multiple white quartz veins through the starburst patterns
  • Captioned "wet," the backside of the piece wet, showing low-contrast starburst patterning on light brown background
  • Scale image of the piece on a measuring mat, measuring about three by three inches
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Spider jasper

Spider jasper

$9.00 USD
$9.00 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.

Locale: Mexico

Approx dimensions: 3 x 2.5 x 1.75"

Approx weight: 375g

 

Spider jasper is called a lot of names in the industry, including chrysanthemum, starburst, and fireworks jasper, due to its distinctive radial starburst pattern on a dark chocolate-brown and red-tinted background. 

Spider jasper is in fact not a true jasper, but a variety of rhyolite. A lot of jaspers are actually rhyolite! Mineralogically jasper is a variety of chalcedony, which is a form of quartz. Rhyolite is in the family tree, an igneous rock composed of quartz and feldspar. This material would most accurately be named "chrysanthemum rhyolite" but you know I can't pass up a goblin-y name like spider jasper.

The starbursts in the rhyolite are spherulites: minerals composed of dense radial needle-like growth from a point to create a sphere (hence "spher"ulite). Spherulites are typically crystalized feldspar forming within volcanic igneous quartz-based rock. They commonly appear as distinct circles with banding as in the case of leopardskin jasper. With spider jasper, the spherulites are loose collections of thick needles resembling a firework.

This piece has a lower-contrast pattern with one dull side. The main face has large well-formed starbursts with a mottled light and dark brown background color. White veins of quartz cross the chunk.

Add the rough piece to your collection, drier terrariums, or use as an accent in a succulent bowl. Chunks of rough like this are commonly sold for lapidary purposes, to be polished into tumbles, slabs, carvings, or jewelry. The rough material is already quite beautiful, but colors deepen if polished; images labeled 'wet' preview what to expect if you do wish to polish.

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