Polished Leopard Stone (Palm Stone)
Leopard rock is a hard and unusual variety of serpentine. It comes from a few small mines in Nyanga, eastern Zimbabwe, and gets its name from the black spots on a pale background. There is a sub-variety from Shamva, north of Harare, which is stronger yellow colour.
This is a fairly old material which has often been used in Shona art carvings but has not been polished in a classical sense for many years. Thus is a "New" material which is back on the market! The polishing is done by expert Malagasy lapidaries right here in South Africa.
Size: 45 x 65 mm
Locality: ZIMBABWE