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Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper
Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper is lovely stone with red and yellow orbs.
Poppy Jasper is a trade name used to described some orbicular jaspers whose pattern consist of orb or sphere shapes similar to poppy flowers. Some say this one was named after the CaliforniaState Flower-the poppy!
This Poppy Jasper comes from Morgan Hill, California near the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
When Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper was first discovered, Morgan Hill itself was just a small farming community. Poppy jasper became the official city stone, it was used to name the recreation center, a local microbrew beer, as well as the international film festival there.
There are four known locations of Poppy Jasper near the town of Morgan Hill, none of which are now being actively mined because the gemstone is found only on private property or protected lands.
The material is very rare. The county shut down digging for this material decades ago, but it was still alluvial and made its way into the creek. Erosion brought quite a bit to the surface allowing collectors to occasionally find some pieces. However, in 2023 Santa Clara County decided to develop the unused part of the land and create a multi-use paved trail for joggers and cyclists.
This area is known for tectonic plate movement and this semiprecious gemstone cabochon material usually has fracture lines-both healed and unhealed.
The Greek origin of the word jasper, iaspis, means "spotted stone." It is a member of the chalcedony family, or a micro-crystalline quartz, and Poppy Jasper cabochons have a hardness of about 7 on the Moh's scale.