Biggs Jasper

Biggs Jasper is one of the most celebrated picture jaspers in the world, named for Biggs Junction in north-central Oregon, USA, where it was discovered in the 1960s during highway construction. It is famous for its layered scenic patterns that resemble desert landscapes, distant mountains, and canyons.

Colors run through tans, browns, golds, and creams, with prized pieces showing soft blue-grey skies ("Blue Biggs"). Each slab is essentially a miniature landscape painting, making it a top choice for picture-jasper collectors.

It is an opaque variety of microcrystalline quartz colored by iron oxides deposited in fine sedimentary-style layers.

Biggs Jasper formed when fine volcanic ash and mud were deposited in still water, then silicified as silica-rich groundwater permeated and replaced the sediment. The original horizontal bedding produced the layered, landscape-like banding.

Later fracturing, faulting, and movement of the iron-bearing fluids created the dendritic and feathered "scenery" within the layers. The deposit lies near Biggs Junction along the Columbia River in Oregon, with classic material now scarce after decades of collecting.

Look for opaque stone with horizontal, landscape-like banding in tan, brown, gold, and cream, often with blue-grey zones and dendritic detailing that suggest mountains or skies. Hardness is 6.5-7, scratching glass; streak is white.

Its scenic, sedimentary-style layering distinguishes it from swirling jaspers like Cherry Creek. Closest look-alikes are Owyhee and Deschutes jaspers; provenance and the characteristic blue-grey skies help confirm Biggs. It is fully opaque, unlike agate.

Biggs Jasper is cut so that the scenic banding is centered in cabochons and display slabs, often framed like tiny paintings. It is highly valued in collector and artisan jewelry markets.

Metaphysically it is marketed as a grounding, calming stone. Its genuine value comes from its remarkable natural landscape imagery and its status as a classic, now scarce, Oregon jasper.