THE STONES

Stones used in Zimbabwean sculpture are locally sourced. Zimbabwe literally means "house of stone", and the country boasts an astonishing diversity of hard rocks that are used for carving, with colloquial names that convey the intrinsic beauty of the medium: butter jade, soapstone, the green opal, fruit serpentine, multi-colored cobalt, semi-precious stones such as purple lepidolite, verdite and dolomite and the lustrous black iron serpentine called springstone. These dense stones have extremely fine grains and uniform structure, making them ideal for expanding sculptural innovation and showcasing the technical skill of the artists. 

SPRINGSTONE

This stone is capable of the most amazing finish that shines to a black luster resembling the black opal. Not surprisingly, its extremely fine finish and excellent durability and hardness make it highly sought after. Excavated in Guruve in the north of Zimbabwe, springstone is one of the hardest and darkest stones. It gets its name because of the deposits of iron found in it. The local name was given due to its reputation during the carving process. One of the most famous 1st generation carvers, John Takawira, was said to have coined the name 'springstone' when he tried to carve the stone and it was so dense and strong that the chisel sprung off the stone, hence the name 'springstone'.

Springstone can often be found covered with a thick outer layer of reddish/brown oxidized iron which is inherent in its chemistry. This softer brown infusion can be used by artists to give a sculpture a beautiful two-tone effect, adding to its appeal. Springstone is rated between 5.0 and 7.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

OPALSTONE

Opalstone is a variety of the geological family of Serpentine. Artists value the subtle, almost translucent beauty of Opalstone which is further enhanced by uniform shades of soft colours. It is a hard stone known for its extremely smooth, close grain texture with fewer colour variations than other Serpentines. It can be polished to display a high gloss finish. 

One of the most prized types of Opalstone found in Zimbabwe is Green Opalstone found in Chiweshe, two hours north of Harare. It is subsequently referred to as Chiweshe Serpentine and was only discovered around 1989. The vivid green colour is predominant, but the stone can range from milky light green to orange coloured iron deposits, browns, fire-reds, blacks and sometimes mottled or specked with red, orange, or bluish dots and patches.  Opalstone measures between 5.0 and 5.5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

LEOPARD ROCK
 A strikingly unusual variety of Serpentine stone. Leopard Rock is a beautifully coloured stone with pock marks similar to a leopard, hence the name, of yellow and black. These are inclusions of the ferromagnesian mineral, olivine. Leopard Rock is an olivine rich serpentine (known geologically as dunite) which forms part of a serpentine complex 2.6 billion years old. The only known deposits of Leopard Rock are in Zimbabwe, mine in Ruwa near Harare and in small mines in Nyanga, eastern part of Zimbabwe. It is a very difficult stone to carve and only very skilled sculptors will attempt this stone. Leopard Rock, when polished, has a beautiful glazed finish. Leopard Rock has a hardness between 6.0 and 7.0 on the Mohs Hardness Scale

SERPENTINE STONE

The majority of stones used in Zimbabwean sculpture belong to the geological family of Serpentine. They are sedimentary, having originally been laid down on a sandy seafloor, and metamorphic, since subsequent exposure to intense heat and pressure over hundreds of millions of years has transformed them into hard stone. Serpentines are rich in iron, so when the stone weathers it turns a rust colour. Serpentine colours range from yellow and green, through brown to black. Serious sculptors prefer the hardest varieties of serpentine such as Springstone, Fruit Serpentine and Leopard Rock. These dense stones have extremely fine grains and uniform structure, making them ideal raw materials for sculpting.

DOLOMITE

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 color but may also be white, grey, 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. Dolomites crystal habits include saddle shaped rhombohedral twins and simple rhombs some with slightly curved faces, also prismatic, massive, granular and rock forming.The stone is slightly harder and more resistant to weathering than limestone or marble. It is sedimentary in nature and composed largely of calcium, magnesium and carbonate. Deposits of Dolomite can be found throughout Zimbabwe. Dolomite has a hardness between 3.5 and 4 on the Mohs Hardness Scale

AQUAPRASE

Aquaprase,  a newly discovered gemstone of the chalcedony family is known for its lively bluish-green colour, which gives it its name. It comes from a non-disclosed location in Zimbabwe and was discovered by the gem explorer Yianni Melas in 2012, but was named as its own gemstone in 2019. 

In an effort to name Aquaprase as its own independent variety of gem and making it legitimately unique, the Gemological Institute of America ran various tests to ensure that it was in no way being confused by another similar gemstone. Its unique colour comes from the minerals Chrysoprase, Chromium, Nickel and Zinc which all contribute to the unique powder blue-to bluish green colour. 

Aquaprase is a hard, durable and lustrous gemstone, making it an extremely hard stone to carve, which means only the most skilled carvers are able to work with this stone.

FRUIT SERPENTINE STONE

 The name 'Serpentine' comes from the perceptible association between the intrinsic texture and patters of the stone and the characteristics of a serpent's skin. The stone boasts an array of colours and no two stones are exactly alike, each given a distinct appearance by the unique pattern of mineral inclusions with the stone. Formed around 2.6 billion years ago, serpentine stones contain quartz, chromium, manganese, copper and iron minerals.

Fruit serpentine is a harder variety of serpentine, beautifully multi-coloured with deep veins of variated strata. Fruit serpentine comes form the Kwekwe area, a few hours southwest of Harare and is also referred to as Kwekwe Serpentine. Fruit Serpentine has a hardness between 4 and 5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale.