{"title":"Serpentine","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSerpentine\u003c\/strong\u003e is not a single mineral but a group of closely related magnesium phyllosilicates sharing the formula Mg3Si2O5(OH)4, including \u003cstrong\u003eantigorite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003echrysotile\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003elizardite\u003c\/strong\u003e. These polymorphs form through low-grade metamorphic alteration of olivine, orthopyroxene, and other magnesium-rich minerals in ultramafic rocks, giving rise to the rock type known as serpentinite. Colors range from deep bottle-green and yellow-green to mottled black and brown, often displaying the swirling, veined patterns that made massive serpentine prized as an ornamental and carving stone since antiquity, sometimes marketed as verd antique when veined with white carbonate or quartz.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eType localities anchor the group's history: \u003cstrong\u003elizardite\u003c\/strong\u003e takes its name from the \u003cstrong\u003eLizard Peninsula\u003c\/strong\u003e in Cornwall, England, long celebrated for ornamental \"noble serpentine\" carvings, while \u003cstrong\u003eantigorite\u003c\/strong\u003e was first described from the \u003cstrong\u003eAntigorio Valley\u003c\/strong\u003e in Piedmont, Italy, and the nearby \u003cstrong\u003eVal Malenco\u003c\/strong\u003e district remains a classic Italian Alps source of fine platy antigorite specimens. \u003cstrong\u003eChrysotile\u003c\/strong\u003e, the fibrous, silky-lustered variety historically mined as asbestos, reached peak commercial importance at the \u003cstrong\u003eJeffrey Mine\u003c\/strong\u003e in Asbestos and at \u003cstrong\u003eThetford Mines\u003c\/strong\u003e, both in Quebec, Canada, while Arizona, California's Coast Ranges, and British Columbia have also yielded notable fibrous and massive material. Other important occurrences include \u003cstrong\u003eMount Olympus\u003c\/strong\u003e in Cyprus, New Zealand's South Island (source of the translucent bowenite variety), and carving-grade deposits across Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Russia, and India. Serpentine is commonly associated with \u003cstrong\u003etalc\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003echromite\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003echlorite\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003emagnesite\u003c\/strong\u003e, and can host nickel to form a series with népouite.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor collectors, serpentine specimens are valued both for mineralogical study of the antigorite–chrysotile–lizardite polytypes, and for their aesthetic, richly textured surfaces that showcase serpentinite's role as a marker of ancient oceanic crust uplifted onto land. Well-crystallized antigorite plates from the Italian Alps, bastite pseudomorphs after enstatite, and pseudomorphs after olivine are especially sought after, alongside polished slabs displaying the classic mottled green-and-black \"serpent-skin\" pattern that gives the group its name. Whether acquired as a scientific reference specimen or a decorative lapidary piece, serpentine offers remarkable variety within a single mineral family, prized by systematic collectors and rock hounds alike.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[],"url":"https:\/\/www.italmineral.com\/collections\/serpentine.oembed","provider":"ITALMINERAL","version":"1.0","type":"link"}