Crocodile Jasper Identification Guide
Identify Crocodile Jasper (Kambaba-type) by its green-and-black orbicular crocodile-skin pattern, quartz hardness, and opaque waxy polish.
Read the full Crocodile Jasper encyclopedia entry →
What Crocodile Jasper Looks Like
Crocodile Jasper is a trade name for a green-and-black orbicular stone, closely related to (and often sold interchangeably with) Kambaba Jasper. It shows dark forest-green to nearly black swirling bands and rounded eye-like orbs that resemble crocodile or reptile skin. Despite the "jasper" label, much of this material is a silica-rich metamorphic/sedimentary rock (often described as a stromatolite-bearing or chlorite/feldspar-rich rock), but it behaves like a hard, opaque, polishable silica stone.
- Luster: waxy to vitreous when polished, dull on rough surfaces
- Transparency: opaque
- Pattern: concentric green-black orbs and mottling on a dark green matrix
- Habit: massive, no crystals; takes a high polish
Step-by-Step Field-ID Checklist
- Check the pattern. Look for rounded orbs/eyes and swirling dark-green and black banding (the "crocodile skin" look).
- Confirm opacity. It stays opaque even on thin edges, unlike translucent agate.
- Hardness test. It should scratch glass (Mohs ~6.5-7 for the silica-rich varieties); softer green stones are something else.
- Look for orb structure. The orbs are part of the rock, not surface dye.
- Acid test. No fizz; it is silicate-dominated, not carbonate.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: ~6.5-7 for silicified material; scratches glass and resists a knife.
- Streak: white to pale greenish-gray.
- Fracture: conchoidal to uneven.
- Acid: inert to dilute HCl.
- Density: ~2.6-2.8 g/cm3.
Common Look-Alikes and How to Tell Them Apart
- Kambaba Jasper: Essentially the same or a sister material; both are green-black orbicular stones from Madagascar. Many dealers use the names interchangeably, with crocodile jasper sometimes denoting a more eye-patterned variant.
- Nebula stone: Has bright green orbs on near-black, but is a distinct rock; crocodile jasper orbs are softer-edged and more swirled.
- Green moss agate: Translucent with dendritic inclusions, not opaque orbs.
- Serpentine: Softer (Mohs ~3-5), can be scratched by a knife, and feels greasier; crocodile jasper is harder.
- Dyed green agate: Translucent and uniformly colored, lacking the natural orbicular structure.
Where It Is Found
The main commercial source is Madagascar, where green orbicular jasper/Kambaba material is quarried. It is sold worldwide as tumbled stones, spheres, and slabs.
Frequently asked questions
How can you tell if it's real Crocodile Jasper?
Look for the natural green-and-black orbicular crocodile-skin pattern, confirm it is opaque, and test hardness: silicified crocodile/Kambaba jasper scratches glass (Mohs ~6.5-7) and does not fizz in acid.
What does Crocodile Jasper look like?
It is an opaque dark forest-green to black stone with rounded eye-like orbs and swirling bands that resemble reptile or crocodile skin, taking a waxy-to-glassy polish.
Is Crocodile Jasper the same as Kambaba Jasper?
They are very closely related green-black orbicular stones from Madagascar, and dealers often use the names interchangeably. Crocodile jasper sometimes refers to a more eye-patterned variant.
Crocodile Jasper vs serpentine: how do I tell them apart?
Crocodile jasper is hard (Mohs ~6.5-7) and scratches glass, while serpentine is softer (Mohs ~3-5), can be scratched by a knife, and feels greasier.
Where does Crocodile Jasper come from?
It is quarried mainly in Madagascar, the same region that produces Kambaba jasper, and is sold worldwide as tumbles, spheres, and slabs.
Crocodile Jasper identified by the community
Recent Crocodile Jasper specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
