Corsi Collection of Decorative Stones

view of stone 761

Corsi 761, approx. 145 x 73 x 40 mm, © Oxford University Museum of Natural History

OUMNH Number: 761  
Name and quarry location: Sicilian jasper, diaspro di Santa Cristina Gela, from Santa Cristina Gela, Palermo, Sicily, Italy  
Geological description: Breccia of yellow-brown jasper clasts cemented by agate, with cavities infilled by colourless quartz crystals. The whole rock has been heavily fractured, and recemented with quartz or with brown to black iron/manganese oxides, which also emanate as dendrites from fractures. A wide vein of granular orange calcite crosses the back of the specimen.  
Comments: Santa Cristina Gela, Province of Palermo, is most probably correct. Jervis (1881, 1889) descibes 'agates' with patches of these colours. An agate with a dark ground and off- white and yellowish marks from 'S. Cristina nella piana de' Greci' is described by Tata (1772), also seems to match this specimen.  
References: Jervis (1881) 209; Jervis (1889) 453; Montana & Briuccia (1998); Price (2007) 246-247; Schmidt (2002); Tata (1772) 31  
Further information:
 


Corsi's classification: Class 14. Quartz and its varieties; Species 6. Jasper; ii. Italian jaspers  
Corsi's text: 188.14 Diaspro di S.Cristina... di Sicilia  

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