Unique to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, is the jasper form known as Dallasite, named after the road it was discovered on in the south end of Vancouver Island. It is officially recognized as the third most important gemstone in British Columbia.
Dallasite is a fantastic and jaw-dropping artistic display of green, black and white colours, but it often includes blue, yellow, red and all the colours on the spectrum. Dallasite is a jasper breccia made up of quartz, altered basalt, epidote and pumpelleyite. It is thought to have been formed as pillow lava underwater.
Each piece paints a picture in beautiful blocky artwork. No two stones are alike. Many even come with mossy black agate spots in the creamy seams. Some have blue tinges in the quartz and others tinge yellow.
As a breccia, Dallasite comes in many forms but all share a distinct look. It often has green zig-zags in lightning streaks or displays black dots lining a white background. Dallasite truly reflects the colours of the Pacific Northwest.
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This Dallasite jasper rock from Vancouver Island is going to need more time in the tumbler, but you can see its beautiful black orbs on the creamy background.
Rough Dallasite.
Rough Dallasite.
Big, dinosaur egg rough Dallasite jasper breccia.
Boom! Same rocks, just sprayed the slurry off with a hose.
I like this Dallasite picture - that's the kind of piece that just yells at you.
Rare Dallasite jasper unique Vancouver Island.
There's what I'm after: Dallasite! It's a jasper breccia local to Vancouver Island.
Another rough piece, this one had been through the coarse grind tumbler for a week.
Another nice piece of Dallasite. I like the ones with a lot of white. This piece was about fist sized.
Rough Dallasite.
Dallasite in its natural habitat, the eastern Vancouver Island shoreline.
A flash of rough yellowy Dallasite.
Here's some brecciated Dallasite jasper from Vancouver Island
Another partially tumbled Dallasite stone.
Finishing up with a regular old Dallasite rock. It's beautiful nonetheless!
Beautiful lightly tumbled Dallasite.
Another angle at the batch of Dallasite jasper halfway through the stone tumbling process.
A tumbled Dallasite stone halfway through the polishing process.
The back of that Dallasite jasper piece. This one is the best I've tumbled so far I think.
An egg-like chunk of Dallasite jasper from Vancouver Island.
Dallasite is a jasper breccia gemstone that displays amazing, natural artwork.
Last shot for now. A Dallasite tumbled stone halfway through the polishing process.
Nice chunk of rough Dallasite jasper breccia. The red is just staining, I think.
Check out that piece of Dallasite jasper! Black, blue, white, green, orange... Amazing Vancouver Island gemstone.
Another partially tumbled Dallasite stone. They need to be photographed wet until they're fully polished, as the prior stages leave a haze on them.
