SERPENTINE
(Mg,Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4, Magnesium Iron Silicate
Hydroxide
Serpentine is a major rock forming mineral and is found as a
constituent in many metamorphic and weather igneous rocks. It often
colors many of these rocks to a green color and most rocks that have a
green color probably have serpentine in some amount.
Serpentine can be an attractive green stone that takes a nice polish
and is suitable for carving. It has been used as a substitute for jade
and is sometimes difficult to distinguish from jade, a testament to the
beauty of finer serpentine material.
Serpentine (magnesium silicate) is found in colours olive green, yellow
or golden, brown, or black - and is soft enough to be worked with
hand-tools.
Shona Sculpture
Shona
sculptures can be found in museums and palaces of the world as art
treasures. They are highly prized possessions as each is unique
and most are quite beautiful. Carved from the local serpentine
stone (sometimes called Shona Stone) and other rocks found in the area
each has its own coloration and shading. The serpentine stone is
a sedimentary rock that formed on ancient sea beds. Layers of
sand, silt, and other materials created a stone that is rich in colors
when heated and polished. The colors will range from red to green
to brown to black.
Serpentine
is one of the most commonly used stone by artists. The hardest type of
Serpentine is black serpentine (also known as Springstone). Serpentine
deposits formed almost 2.6 billion years ago.
