Try the knife test to see whether your red jasper is genuine. You won't be able to scratch a genuine red jasper stone with a knife since it's too hard. When seen under a magnifying glass or a microscope, it might have black streaks or bands of various color variations rather than a flat tint. The color changes when the stone is heated above 450 degrees F (232 degrees C). Genuine red jasper tends to be more transparent than not-so-real stones and may have inclusions, or bubbles, trapped inside. These may be iron oxide, quartz, or carbonate depending on what type of rock it is. Genuine red jasper also has more complex patterns of dark lines and shapes that aren't present in imitation stones. Red jasper was used by Native Americans to make tools and weapons. They would crush the stone into powder form or cut it into pieces for use as beads, earrings, and ornaments. Today, these stones are still used in jewelry because of their unique beauty and variety of colors. Imitation red jaspers are made by heating limestone rocks containing calcium carbonate until they become white hot, then grinding them up to create a fine powder. The powder is dyed red using cochineal, which is an insect shell product that once grew on a tree in South America. Cochineal contains carminic acid, which gives it its pink color.