Head -Female-Mixed Stones

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.

This elegantly simple stone resembles fine marble. Its faceted crystalline appearance lends the stone a unique sense of depth. It is generally pink or pinkish-white in colour but may also be white, grey or even brown or black depending on whether iron and manganese are present minerals in the crystal. Dolomite lustre is pearly to vitreous to dull. The crystals are translucent to transparent.

Is a creamy yellow colour with dark striations throughout and is sometimes also known as Butter stone. Locally called ‘Jade’, it is not however a true Jade. The striations found in the attractive yellow-green sedimentary rock are actually layers containing fossilized algae.

Beautifully coloured stone with ‘spot’ marks similar to a leopard. It is similar to serpentine; having a creamy yellow colour with black blotches. The only known deposits of Leopard Rock are in Zimbabwe. It is a very difficult stone to carve and only skilled sculptors will attempt this rock. Power tools are used due to the hardness and to get the definition. Leopard Rock when polished has a beautiful glazed finish.

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.