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gemstone main cabochon creation
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Mineral: quartz
Gem: fossilized shell / jasper
Size:
Carat:
Cut: freeform cabochons
Origin: See below
General Info: The name is derived from the German "quartz" of uncertain origin. It was called "krystallos" by the Greeks, but this later became the generic term for crystal.
Additional Information
The first material is now called scriptstone or sometimes Arabic scriptstone. It is made up of layers of shell that have been cemented together with a red sediment. In some samples is is a good jasper, and in others it is less well "cemented". This material is not always hard enough to take a good polish.

There are some closeup pictures below showing the "script stone" slab, and a second material that is also a cemented set of fossil shell.
Closeup of scriptstone in a slab. Look at the shell on the center-left, you can see the scollop on the exterior of the shell.
Another variety of shell in composite, locale unknown. Again, along the center shell you can see the scollop pattern that would have textured the outside.