SERPENTINE

Serpentine is believed to create a mood of tranquillity and give off an aura of peacefulness and harmony, which is perhaps why there is such a relaxed atmosphere in this gallery! The most popular stone used by the artists of Zimbabwe is Serpentine.  More than 250 specific ores and combinations have been found here.

 Serpentine is believed to have formed approximately 2.5 billion years ago and is found in The Great Dyke, a 310 mile ridge, which bisects Zimbabwe east to west.  The hills of the ridge are laced with chrome, platinum, gold, copper, emeralds and other precious metals, which create the unusual mineral assemblages that in turn create the amazing variety of colours of this, stone. 

It is formed from a rock called dunite and is rich in the mineral olivine.  It is also known to contain such minerals as quartz, chromium, manganese, copper and iron.  Serpentine rates between 2.5 to 5.5 on the universally used Mohs hardness scale, depending on mineral inclusions.  By comparison a diamond rates at 10. 

The name ‘Serpentine’ is thought to be derived from the belief that it could cure a serpent’s bite or that one particular type of serpentine resembles a serpent’s skin.

TYPES OF SERPENTINE:

Springstone/Black iron Serpentine

Springstone is a very hard Serpentine with high iron content and a fine texture, that occurs in a number of sites, especially the Great Dykes Range.  It often has slightly softer ochre areas and striations that give visual variation to the deep greys and blacks of the most amazing finish – a black lustre resembling black opal. 

Rated at 4.0 to 5.0 on the Mohs hardness scale, it is the hardest form of Serpentine.  It is especially favoured for large works, as it can be quarried in solid pieces weighing a number of tonnes. 

Black iron Serpentine’s remarkable hardness guarantees its durability and because of its fine finish, is highly sought after and a great source of inspiration to the artist.

Kwekwe fruit Serpentine (Fruit Stone)

Coming from only two farms in Kwekwe, a town a few hours southwest of Harare, fruit Serpentine, or Kwekwe Stone, occurs as boulders. The artists use long steel poles to pry it from the ground, as opposed to mining.

Fruit stone is an exceptionally beautiful, multicoloured stone, very dark, almost black in places, with areas of dark brown, red, green and even a deep blue at times.

Opal Stone 

Opal stone is a light-greenish Serpentine; it was discovered as recently as 1989, in the Chiweshe area of Zimbabwe.   It is a beautiful, hard, finely textured stone with an almost translucent surface that is sometimes specked with red, orange and blue dots and patches. 

It rates high on the Mohs scale with a rating between 5.0 to 5.5.

Leopard Stone

This striking stone comes from the Nyanga district in the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe.  It is the hardest stone the artists carve, it was only discovered about five years ago as a carving material.

 Leopard stone (or rock) is unique; featuring different shades of green, broken by distinctive black spots, hence its name. 

There are only a handful of artist that carve this stone successfully, due to the difficulties caused by the hardness of the stone and the calcite veins running through it.