Serpentine stone – from soft to hard in many colours

Serpentine is a metamorphic natural stone of magmatic origin and around two million years old. It has a fine structure and only few cracks. The structure, hardness and colouring of the individual types of serpentine rock vary greatly: serpentine that tends to lie on the earth's surface often has a light green colouring and is relatively soft, while serpentine from deeper layers of the earth tends to be dark green to black and of greater hardness.

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In their colourfulness, serpentine stones appear from yellow to brown and turquoise-violet to dark green and black. Opal serpentine is most similar in hardness alabaster and is very easily compared to chisel . Lepidolite serpentine, on the other hand, with a hardness of 5, belongs to the hard stones such as granite and is best worked with carbide chisels .

Serpentine – Natural stone from Zimbabwe, fairly mined and traded

At bildhau we sell serpentine stones from Zimbabwe. Most of the serpentine stones there are quarried on the edge of the „Great Dyke“, an igneous body about 550 km long and 4 to 11 kilometres wide, rich in minerals and ores.

The serpentine sourced from bildhau in Zimbabwe is mined and traded fairly in cooperation with the local population. The relatively high and unstable price is explained by the politically and economically difficult situation in Zimbabwe.

Shona Art – Stone Sculpture from Zimbabwe

Serpentine stone has become known not least through the stone sculptures of the sculptors of the Shona , a people who live mainly in Zimbabwe and primarily use serpentine for sculpting. Stone carving is often done primarily by hand. Stone sculpture has been an important art form in Africa since the mid-20th century.

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