Verdite is a semi-precious stone found in Zimbabwe which ranges in color from emerald to brown. It's hardness is greater than the hardness of serpentine, making it a challenging sculpting medium. Verdite is over 3.5 million years old and is highly sought after. It is only found in southern Africa, with the highest quality being found in a deposit in Zimbabwe. It is therefore becoming rare and therefore highly prized. Verdite is a hard rock of varying shades of green often mottled with yellows - the beautifully contrasting colours and the hardness of this semi-precious rock make if perfect for stone carvings. Verdite carvings are very sought after and are expected to increase in value as resources of this semi-precious rock become more depleted.

Verdite holds a great place in african life as an ingredient in preparing traditional fertility medicines. Often called a gemstone, verdite is considered a good medium t o assist one in linking with the spiritual world. It is also believed to cleanse the blood, reduce toxicity and improve oxygenation within the body - and; thought to soften a brasive character traits!

Verdite, also known as "Africa's Green Gold", is highly sought after by artists and is found in only two places on earth - Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa and in Zimbabwe. Verdite is one of the oldest rocks in the world - formed some 3,500 million years ago. This is about the time that life was just beginning on Earth. Verdite is a metamorphic rock, created at the same time as the 3.5 billion year old volcanic rocks, which scientists call t he Barberton Greenstone Belt. These rocks have given up direct evidence of conditions of life on the surface of the very early earth. The first life forms on earth, a bacterial microfossil "Archaeospheroides Barbertonis" was discovered in the Nelpruit Barbeton region and has been identified as being 3 200 000 000 years old!

Only the more experienced sculptor will dare sculpt from this hard stone. Verdite rates between a 7.0-9.0, depending on the amount of Corrundum inclusions, on the universally used Mohs hardness scale.

Verdites color is unique in that it boasts an Emerald looking quality with beautiful brown and green striations.Unfortunately, verdite is fast becoming rare and is difficult to find. Carvings from this stone will become increasingly more valuable.