A Theory on Royal Sahara Jasper®Formation
Royal Sahara Jasperv (RSJ®) is a particular type of Porcelain/Scenic Jasper, often brightly-colored, first found in the Eastern Sahara Desert by Oasis Prospecting Company in North Africa during the 2006 prospecting season. Royal Sahara Jasper® is characterized by sharp banding, somewhat resembling vivid, distinct scenes that are very pleasing to the eye and can be captured into one entire cabochon or finished stone. What differentiates them from most other Jaspers found world-wide is the very large range of colors in the Jasper itself. In addition, the bands can be very intricate and thin up to very wide (the wide bands are comprised of very thin bands all the same color). Sometimes the color in an individual band can result from a blending of a background color with contrasting color dots or small orbicular areas. (e.g., red dots on a white band to give a pink appearance) And sometimes the color of an individual band itself can vary from place to place in the Jasper nodule.
RSJ® Cabochons cut by: Sam Silverhawk - Silverhawk's Creations
One of the biggest differences of Royal Sahara Jasper® from other porcelain jaspers is the profusion of dendrites throughout the rough. They are sharp and distinct and seem to be randomly distributed throughout the rough, when present.
Royal Sahara Jasper® Dendrites
In addition, Royal Sahara Jasper® has the unique ability to "Morph" after every slice is taken. If you don't think the pattern is just right on the face of a slab; don't worry! Just make another cut and it will change.
Courtesy of: "La passion des Minéraux & Fossiles" (http://www.oeufspolis.com)
Before
After
Royal Sahara Jasper® is similar in appearance to many American and Mexican Jaspers, but has a tendency to less transparency, especially in the matrix or non-banded part of the nodule. They are also similar to Biggs, Deschutes and other Jaspers familiar to lapidaries with the exception that Royal Sahara Jasper® shows color tendencies more sharply. For instance, a traditional Jasper colors can range from red-orange to orange in the outside bands, through yellow to white on the inside, often with colorless quartz/jasper directly in the center. However, expert collectors can frequently guess what a particular Royal Sahara Jasper® will exhibit for pattern by studying the faced area as well as recommended orientation for slicing. For example, Jaspers from most locations in the U.S. often tend to dark brown through black, or dull red and gold banding. Jaspers from North Africa and the Sahara Desert are frequently Brown, whites, creams, tans, beige or orange banding are very common from there. Bright blues, greens and grays also come from the Sahara as well. Pink, Red and Salmon are occasionally seen; although these are the rarest colors observed and are highly sought after by both lapidaries and private collectors.
"Sahara Mirages" by George
Royal Sahara Jasper® has also been shown to contain between 5% and 11% HIGHER silica content than other picture jaspers. What does this mean? Well, it takes a more consist, higher polish with no apparent soft spots for one thing. It also results in a higher Moh's Hardness than usual for better wear attributes. It has even been knapped "green" (without heat-treatment) successfully when it exhibits a chonchoidal fracture.
Knapped Royal Sahara Jasper® Points - KNAPPED GREEN!!!
The original area found by the authors east of the oasis we called home during our trips to the dig site was known to us for the pinks, corals, salmons, bright oranges, deep reds to violet and yellows/golds. Brick-red, medium grayish, or tan seems to be common matrix colors there. Caramel and white coloration is very common from the ancient riverbed areas. Jaspers from the surrounding area test pits often show a wide variety of coloration changes that cannot be readily explained. It is beyond the scope of this page to cover all of the variations, and we are still finding more. People who have worked Royal Sahara Jasper®, including ourselves, are still learning about coloring, structure and other identification attributes.
"Time Tunnel" by George
"Directions for finding your own Royal Sahara Jasper®"
Go here......
Using one of these......
And dig for these......
See how easy that was?
Some Mineralogists and Geologists consulted have speculated that Royal Sahara Jasper® was deposited along with the other myriad of Agates, Jasper-Agates, "Desert Jasper", petrified wood, quartz nodules, Chert and Flint nodules and other nodules by erosion/alluvium coming down from the nearby mountains. Rounded cobbles/nodules of quartz, quartzite, agates, flint and chert are frequently found in the Jasper beds, indicating their source from the nearby cliffs there.
Looking out over an ancient river delta in the Sahara
One of the ancient river bed exposures found by us while prospecting
Standing in the valley at the first dig site discovered looking towards the North
In fact, we have Royal Sahara Jasper® collected in situ in the surrounding mountains themselves which are nearly identical to those collected in the desert and ancient riverbeds. There is a theory that the Jaspers and agates themselves were formed very close to the place they are now found. Some localities, e.g. test pit #6, often show a rough exterior, indicating that the Jasper nodule has not traveled too far in an alluvium mix. They are mostly associated with sedimentary clay formations. However, field studies show that some of the other test pits (i.e. #2, #17 and #18) do (or did) outcrop in other places (other than the hills that so dominate the skyline), and the Jaspers could have easily eroded out and been captured in the sediments of the ancient river group formations in the South-Eastern Sahara Desert during past geological times.
Royal Sahara Jasper® occasionally contains fossils or fossil imprints, as do the common Agates and Jasper-Agates they occur with. These fossils are often small marine shells, but we do have several samples of what may be other forms of plant or marine life embedded within the nodules. This would place the origin/formation of the nodules somewhere between the Eocene and the Oligocene age at approximately 35 to 45 million years ago.
Fossils found embedded within Royal Sahara Jasper® nodules Shell (left) & Crustacean (right)
There is still much study and debate taking place regarding the formation of Jaspers, particularly Royal Sahara Jasper®. They may be attributed to percolating solutions of hot silica containing various amounts of chemical impurities (the impurities give the colors of the matrix and bands). These Jaspers; as are the Biggs, Deschutes, Wild Horse and Owyhee Jaspers of Oregon and the Jaspers of Montana, Texas, and the banded Jaspers of Kentucky and Tennessee are all formed in sedimentary formations, unlike many of the worlds’ Jaspers, which were formed in igneous rocks. Chert and flint, along with myriads of jasper nodules are also found in sections of sedimentary rocks. These are all similar in composition to Royal Sahara Jasper®. and is in a narrow band on the eastern edge of the Southern Sahara Desert. Since these often beautiful and always intriguing Jaspers have always been very scarce (and hence expensive to purchase) it might be good to search for new localities. Oasis Prospecting is planning on trying to discover more accessible deposits of Royal Sahara Jasper® on future adventures into the Sahara Desert.
The Jaspers, which can be whole nodules or broken pieces, range from the size of a pea to the size of a Football (extremely rare!) or larger. An average one is maybe one to three inches across. Prices may seem high (or even insane) to the casual collector until you have spent hours wandering around the Jasper beds in a stooped-over position and digging in the hot sun trying to find a "Keeper".
Bring lots of liniment and suntan lotion and watch for scorpions and snakes!
Some of the "Critters" you can run across
Saw Scaled Viper - The deadliest snake in the Sahara
The Palestinian Yellow Scorpion (thankfully rare) has a venom that is potentially lethal
Sand Viper - One nasty critter!
The weather can also be a detriment. Heat, sun, heat, lack of rainfall (yearly average of less than 2 inches!!!), heat and the ever-present sand storms which can totally bury two months of work in 24 hours - all adding to the experience. Oh, did I mention the heat? It has been known to get up to 120 ~ 140 degrees F. during the summer months.
Dust Devils - a common sight but not to be taken lightly!!!
Sandstorm rolling in to make our day interesting...
The White Desert in the Sahara
And (of course...) the Black Desert in the Sahara
YES! It's possible to fry an egg on a rock (over easy anyone?)
Of course, the "locals" (bedouins) keep you occupied as well.
The occasional visitors dropping by for "Tea"
Then you have the slight problems of carrying the rock out to your loading point and driving 200 miles home with them, sorting, packing, exporting, importing, shipping, packing, storage and handling fees to consider - all halfway around the world.
From the rocky plains of the Sahara Desert
To Driving back to our home base. (A treat in itself!)
Then sorting and packing in barrels
To loading the container and arranging shipping
Thru final delivery here in the U.S.
Definitely NOT for the faint-of-heart!!!
The original dig sites for Royal Sahara Jasper® are well-hunted and heavily picked over at this point in time, although Jasper is constantly appearing at new test sites and excellent finds are made every trip by the persistent mining by Oasis Prospecting Company. The problem is: you never can know when you’ll run out completely the deposit no longer will produce in other words - or the political climate will change and access will no longer be possible.
Royal Sahara Jasper® is made into jewelry as well as other finished products and commands high prices due to its scarcity, mesmerizing patterns and beautiful contrasting colors. The applications for RSJ® are only limited by the imagination.....
"Desert Butterfly" (w/Faceted Sunstone Marquis Body) - by Janet
The finest specimens are usually polished on the window, as that is the preference of many modern collectors. Good polished specimens also tend to fetch the highest prices. Many rather ordinary or even homely Jaspers have been greatly improved in color and pattern with lapidary procedures. Cutting and polishing often does remove the dark, oxidized coloring on the natural face and the unoxidized colors are pleasing and contrasting bringing out bright and tight banding colors. True dark brown bands can exist that go all the way through, but that is less often the case. The most desirable Jaspers almost always show good color contrasts between the bands and/or matrix. Furthermore, the most desirable specimens tend to exhibit whole or full-face" patterns. If the pattern wraps around the stone, it detracts some from the value. Too much matrix also detracts.
Custom knives - Courtesy of Sawby Knives (http://www.sawbycustomknives.com)
"Swallowtail" by: Scott Sawby Using Royal Sahara Jasper® in Handle.
"Dogwood" by: Scott Sawby Using Royal Sahara Jasper® in Handle.
From another viewpoint, an experienced lapidary can often bring out much finer or larger patterns hidden beneath the surface. Sometimes grinding will remove much or all of the "skin" which is only on the surface, and other times it will open it up, as much of the pattern is hidden within. Grind slowly until you can observe which is happening. If it is a fine specimen to begin with, you may wish to study it closely before putting it to the wheel to increase your chances of success. Sawing with a diamond blade can be done on specimens as well, to find out what may be hidden within, or to remove excess matrix areas. Excessive sawing can diminish value so be careful when cutting. The old saw about "Cut a little, look a lot" applies with RSJ®.
"Roaring Lion" Bolo Tie Stone Cut and Silverwork by Rocky McCall
The supply of really good Royal Sahara Jasper® is limited and competition for it is fierce. The best source for Royal Sahara Jasper® is from the small (currently) steady output available from Oasis Prospecting. The owners have their own fine collection which is not for sale, and always try to exhibit different pieces from it at Gem & Mineral shows they participate in, but they have enough to sell to shops or other collectors. Of course, if you live in the area where it is found, you can always hunt your own, but good luck finding it in an area twice the size of France! Not only that, but Jasper from certain areas are not available by self-collecting - some potential areas found by us that has shown promise have been found to be closed or off-limits and remain so to this day.
We do know one thing for sure about RSJ®; once cut, it makes some of the most beautiful Jasper cabochons, jewelry and finished products in the world. This is why Royal Sahara Jasper® is the true ROYALTY of Jaspers.