Rock & Mineral Encyclopedia

Search and identify 1,000+ rocks, minerals, crystals, and gemstones — with properties, formation, colors, hardness, and how to tell them apart.

Orange Obsidian

Obsidian colored orange by iron oxide inclusions; vivid uniform orange material is frequently manufactured glass rather than volcanic.

An earthy-toned jasper with vine-like or scenic patterning, valued by lapidaries for warm browns, reds, and creams that polish to a smooth finish.

A prized Mexican jasper known for pastel green, lavender, and cream orbicular patterns that take an exceptional polish.

The yellow variety of beryl, also called heliodor or golden beryl, colored by iron and valued for its bright color and durability.

A banded, metamorphosed iron formation in which bright red jasper alternates with silvery hematite or magnetite layers.

A soft peachy-orange variety of banded chalcedony, naturally iron-tinted or dyed, popular for warm-toned beads and jewelry.

A metamorphosed banded iron formation of alternating quartz and iron-oxide layers, mined as a major iron ore.

An old name for a dull leek-green variety of quartz or chalcedony colored by green mineral inclusions, historically called mother of emerald.

A warmly colored chalcedony agate with reds, oranges, golds, and pinks that blend like the glowing bands of a sunset sky.

A microcrystalline quartz jasper marked by small concentric ring or eye patterns that resemble the eyes of birds.

A green-and-red ornamental stone of epidote and red piemontite or iron oxide, named for its dragon-skin coloring; not a true jasper.

An opaque blue variety of chalcedony jasper, less common than red or green forms, colored by mineral inclusions.

A dark green jasper-chalcedony speckled with red iron-oxide spots, classically known as bloodstone or heliotrope.

A general term for light-colored, fine-grained volcanic rocks rich in quartz and feldspar, like rhyolite.

An opaque, iron-rich variety of microcrystalline quartz known for its deep brick-red color and ancient history as a stone of strength and grounding.