Jasper

Jasper was a much sought after gem in the very ancient times and today it is used for aesthetic as well as industrial purposes. It belongs to the family of quartz. The name is Greek in origin. The color of Jasper ranges from red to shades of brown due to the presence of ferric oxide. But with the combination of other minerals it gets a colorful banded appearance. Most of the varieties of jasper get their name from the way they look. To name a few we have:

Ribbon Jasper
Picture Jasper
Leopard jasper
Red Jasper
Dalmatian Jasper

Jasper is deposited in the following places:

Urals
France
Sicily
North Africa
India
Venezuela
Germany

Jasper as a mineral stone has a number of uses.

Medicinal uses:

Jasper the gemstone was supposedly used to heal gastric and gynecological ailments.
It was believed that Opalite Jasper could induce sleep.

Mystical uses:

Jasper was said to have powers which kept evil and fatal insects/reptile bites at bay.
It is said to erase negativity from life.
Red jasper is associated with the zodiac sign, Taurus and Yellow Jasper with Sagittarius.

Commercial uses:

Bowls are crafted out of Jasper.
Buildings like churches and chapels also used jasper for decoration.
Being cheap it is used to make ornaments, though care should be taken to keep its surface clean and smooth in order to retain polish.

Jasper the gemstone possesses so many powers and is widely used by a great section of people.