Jasper Is a Stone and a Name From the Nativity
Jasper is an opaque decorative quartz. The name also belongs to one of the traditional three wise men.
Jasper is an opaque variety of quartz, usually red, brown or yellow. The same word became a personal name through the nativity tradition: the three magi are unnamed in the Bible, but medieval sources gave them the names Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, and *Jasper* is the English form of Caspar. Stone and name arrived by different routes.
- An opaque quartz. *A jasper pebble.*
- A personal name. *Jasper the magus.*
- Jasperware — Wedgwood pottery. *Blue jasperware.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | jasper | Red jasper. |
| Plural | jaspers | Polished jaspers. |
| Related | chalcedony | Banded chalcedony. |
| Related | agate | A moss agate. |
| Related | quartz | Crystalline quartz. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Jasper is opaque; agate is banded and translucent.Both are chalcedony.
- Wedgwood jasperware is unglazed stoneware.Named for its resemblance to the stone.
- Jasper is the English form of Caspar.One of the traditional magi.
Quartz varieties
- Jasper — opaque, with impurities giving the colour
- Agate — banded translucent chalcedony
- Onyx — parallel-banded, often black and white
- Carnelian — reddish translucent chalcedony
- Amethyst — purple crystalline quartz
From Old French *jaspre*, from Latin *iaspis*, from Greek, ultimately from a Semitic source. The name comes separately from Persian *ganzabara*, a treasurer.
Jasper or agate?
Both are forms of chalcedony. Jasper is opaque; agate is translucent and usually banded.
Are the three wise men named in the Bible?
No. Their number and names come from later tradition, first recorded in western sources several centuries after the gospels.