First Born

Usually found in green with inclusions of blues, gold, red and browns. The only known deposits are found in areas where gold was first discovered in Africa many centuries ago. It is related to the Serpentinite and occurs in various lens-shaped pods dotted over a 25-kilometre range. The material has no cleavage and is riddled with intrusions of corundum (ruby) crystals (hence the name Ruby Verdite), quarts, calcite and mica. Chromium is the mineral, which gives Verdite its distinctive rich green colour – Ruby Verdite can be extremely hard.

A very hard serpentine with high iron content and a fine texture with no cleavages. Has a rich outer “blanket” of reddish brown oxidized rock. A beautiful dark stone, it polishes to a high shine because of its density. There are a number of mines where this stone is found, but Guruve, in the north, is where the majority of springstone is mined. For the purpose of sculpting, this stone is mined by hand on communal lands.