Jasper Ovoid Beads. Jasper is another of those ornamental Agates with a very long history, going back thousands of years b.c.e. It would seem the origin of the word “jasper” is Old French, from Old Persian, with the meaning “speckled stone”. Certainly the above example of Jasper, an opaque gemstone in a mix of browns and greens, has been considered typical of a Jasper gemstone for a thousand years, though it would seem that two thousand years ago the term “jasper” also referred to a translucent green gemstone, probably a green Chalcedony.
In any case, the ornamental gemstone that we now call Jasper was being carved exquisitely in the Bronze Age of the ancient Indus Valley civilization. And certainly the Victorian English appreciated it as a hardstone suitable for the carving of signature seals and portraits.