Jasper Jasper Jasper, an aggregate of microgranular quartz and/or chalcedony and other mineral phases, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. The common red color is due to iron(III) inclusions. The mineral aggregate breaks with a smooth surface and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for items such as vases, seals, and snuff boxes. The specific gravity of jasper is typically 2.5 to 2.9. A green variety with red spots, known as heliotrope (bloodstone), is one of the traditional birthstones
Heliotrope Books Heliotrope Books Heliotrope Books is an independent publisher based in Lower Manhattan. Founded and operated by Naomi Rosenblatt, Heliotrope specializes in cross-genre books with mixed sales categories, memoirs by journalists (including the "memoir-noir", a category coined by Heliotrope), and fiction set in New York City. Heliotrope also publishes a line of children's books under the imprint HelioTot. Notable authors include humorist entrepreneur Richard A. Moran; award-winning professor and bestselling memoirist Susan Shapiro; Catherine Hiller, novelist, filmmaker, and author of the notable marijuana memoir "Just Say Yes"; novelist, poet, and playwright Sonia Pilcer; and Leda Meredith. As a New York City