Serpentine
The snake-skin rock of the ocean floor, carved as 'new jade'.
- Family
- Serpentine
- Formula
- (Mg,Fe)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
- Mohs
- 2.5 to 5.5
- System
- Monoclinic
Drag to turn
Science
Serpentine is a group of sheet silicates, antigorite, lizardite and chrysotile, formed when mantle rock reacts with seawater. It is the green mottled stone of ophiolites and of Cornish and Italian architecture. Chrysotile is asbestos; massive serpentine sold for carving is safe.
- Mineral
- Serpentine
- Formula
- (Mg,Fe)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
- Crystal system
- Monoclinic
- Mohs hardness
- 2.5 to 5.5
- Specific gravity
- 2.50 to 2.60
- Refractive index
- 1.550 to 1.560
- Lustre
- Greasy to waxy
- Colours
- Green, Yellow-green, Mottled
Composition
(Mg,Fe)₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄. Made of Magnesium, Iron, Silicon, Oxygen, Hydrogen, with trace Nickel, Chromium responsible for colour.
Origin
- United KingdomThe Lizard, Cornwall
- Italy
- United StatesCalifornia state rock
- China
- Afghanistan
- Canada
- Norway
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
A rock-forming mineral of ophiolites; carvings and beads are cheap. Translucent bowenite is the better grade.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Serpentine sits at 2.5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale. A steel knife will scratch it; it suits pendants and display more than rings.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Heart
- Crown
Element
- Earth
Zodiac
- Gemini
Planets
- Saturn
Properties
- Kundalini
- Meditation
- Protection
- Earth connection
Lore
Romans believed serpentine, patterned like snakeskin, protected against snakebite and poison; medieval physicians dispensed medicine from serpentine bowls. Queen Victoria's enthusiasm for Lizard serpentine started a Cornish carving industry.
Modern practice ties it to kundalini, the serpent energy of yoga, purely by name.
- OphioliteSerpentinite is old ocean floor pushed onto land.
- New jadeChinese trade name for carved serpentine.