Red Jasper Carved Skull

Red Jasper Figural skull Natural crystal/gemstone Dimensions 2” inches Weighs about 100g Hand carved Carved crystals are individual works of art and will also bear the marks of their lapidary artisans, please appreciate the unique details of items made by hand. Crystal Tip: Jasper is a microcrystalline variety of Quartz, a silicon dioxide mineral with a hardness of 6.5 to 7. Its crystal system is hexagonal (trigonal). In Jasper, the Quartz microcrystals are laid out in sugar-like grains, rather than the fibrous layers found in its close relative, Chalcedony. The name Jasper is derived from a Greek word meaning ‘spotted stone.’ Jaspers can include up to 20% foreign materials, which account for its wide variety of colors and patterns. It occurs in nodules or as fillings in fissures. Jaspers are found all over the world, including important deposits in India, Russia, Brazil, France, Germany and the USA. [The Book of Stones pg. 260] Researchers have written dozens of books and hundreds of articles about crystal skulls, few have attempted to explain the origin and purpose of these sculptures. For some, the crystal skulls are 19th-century “hoaxes”; for others, they are extraterrestrial artefacts, while yet others believe they are remnants of a lost civilisation. Perhaps the most likely explanation is that they are part and parcel of the ancient cultures, particularly the Mayan, that existed in the area of Central America where they were found. Could it be that these skulls were one of the most important relics in the sacred temple complexes? Crystal skulls speak to the imagination, but are some of these skulls and their stories too good to be true?