Verdite is also known as Africa's Green Gold

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 billion 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.




- the green stone of Africa:
It is a challenging medium of artistic expression by sculptors and craftsmen.  Ancient tribesmen crafted verdite into jewelry for the nobility. Doctors made highly charged aphrodisiac preparations from the powdered stone for the treatment of infertility.

Rare and beautiful, verdite occurs in a variety of patterns and shades from golden brown, camouflage green to emerald green and blue. The Zimbabwe deposit is the richest in variety, and most sought after.

In the knowledge that verdite is found only in Southern Africa and noting that the Zimbabwe verdite is of a uniquely high quality, it has been sought by international collectors, artists and investors who have recognised it as rare and valuable.  Constituents of verdite include corundum, albite, chromium and fuchite.

On the Mohs hardness scale Verdite rates between 7.0-9.0



 
Verdite is unique and contains quantities of ruby corundum (the second hardest mineral know to science) and green-brown chromium rich mica. The outcome is a gorgeous interplay of changing patterns and shades ranging from browns to emerald greens and blues.  It is a semi-precious stone that is becoming increasingly rare. The only known deposits in the world are found in the Eastern Transvaal and Zimbabwe. Verdite occurs amongst the oldest rock formations dating back over 3500 million years and varies in coloration from a deep, rich green to varying shades of brown.


Verdite holds a great place in African life, both ancient and modern, as a stone used to  produce traditional animal and other ornamental carvings and as an ingredient in preparations for improving fertility. Verdite is considered a good medium to assist in linking with the spiritual world. It is believed to cleanse the blood, reduce toxicity and improve oxygenation within the body.