Cornish Serpentine is unique to the Lizard Peninsula. It has been worked on the Lizard for many years, historically, since 1828.
I have developed a slightly different approach to working this beautiful, unique stone, that I hope complements the established Lizard turners. Collected from hidden coves and abandoned quarries, taken to a field in the middle of nowhere, and then shaped with unpredictable aplomb, before moving back to my small workshop at the end of my small garden where the sanding and polishing begin.
Each piece shaped by my hand, my eyes, and the weather, over a period of 200 million years and a few days…….
Note from Anna…
Serpentine – Mg3 Si2 O5(OH)4. Hydrous Magnesium Silicate. Rock. Commonly named because the patterns resemble that of a snake.
It is a chemically simple but structurally very complex. The structural relationship among the different serpentines has never been fully determined.
It is formed below 500 degrees C in the presence of water vapour, from the metamorphic alteration of ultra-basic rocks containing olivines, amphiboles, and Pyrenean. The hardness of the stone is measured at 2.5 to 4.6. (Diamond being 10 ).
I work as sustainably as possible and respect in every way the insects, animal life, plants and beauty of all the areas I visit, treading as lightly as possible upon the earth….