Serpentine: meaning, properties and lore

The mineral

The three main polymorphs are chrysotile, lizardite and antigorite, and they differ in their internal structure. Lizardite and chrysotile have flat and curved or cylindrical microstructures, while antigorite has wavy layers that give a corrugated texture.¹²

The generic chemical formula for the serpentine group is X2-3Si2O5(OH)4, where X may be magnesium, iron, nickel, aluminium, zinc or manganese. The ideal formula for the group is Mg3Si2O5(OH)4. Serpentine has a Mohs hardness of 2, which makes it soft enough to scratch with a copper coin.¹²

Serpentine crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system, although some members such as lizardite are hexagonal and chrysotile polytypes differ. It has a greasy, waxy or silky lustre and is translucent to opaque. Gem-quality material from Shandong was described with a vitreous luster in one study.¹³

Serpentine is white in streak and occurs in colours including white, yellow, green, gray, brown, black and purple, often multicolored in green and yellow. The colour in gem material is commonly mottled with veins and spots.¹³²

Serpentine is a metamorphic rock-forming mineral and is found in abundance worldwide. Serpentine forms as an alteration product of olivine, and olivine is the predominant mineral in kimberlite, which can later alter to serpentine. This alteration makes estimating the original magma composition difficult.¹⁴

Notable localities include the Lizard Peninsula in Cornwall, England, the type locality of lizardite, and the Antigorio Valley in Piedmont, Italy, the type locality of antigorite. Gem material also occurs at Pizzo Tremogge, where layers lie 2800 m above sea level in Val Malenco, Italy, mostly within marbles of the Margna unit. A translucent green form called williamsite is found at the Wood's Chrome Mine in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.¹²

History and lore

The Book of Kells, the illuminated manuscript of Irish origin, has serpentine forms recurring through its decoration. Some have suggested these relate to the worship of ophidian reptiles, and some evidence suggests serpent worship was practised among immigrant races in Ireland before Christianity.⁵

Dr. F. Keller, writing of Irish early ornament generally, described the serpentine bands of Irish ornament as finding analogies in Egyptian and Ethiopian manuscripts. The Manuscript in its present state consists of 339 leaves of vellum.⁵

Serpentinite has been used since antiquity for ceremonial and ornamental carvings, according to Guillot and Hattori (2013). Serpentine is commonly used as an imitation of jadeite or nephrite in the jewelry trade. Taishan jade is described as a newfound variety of serpentine from Shandong province.²³

Gem-quality serpentine from Pizzo Tremogge was discovered by mineral collector Pietro Sigismund, who reported the find in the 1930s, according to Gramaccioli (1962). Production and marketing of Pizzo Tremogge serpentine started around the year 2000.²

Birthstone and chakra links

Serpentine's numerical vibration is 8, according to crystal practitioners who link stones with numbers. Crystal practitioners associate serpentine with the crown chakra, a link that belongs to modern crystal practice and is not an ancient tradition.

What crystal practitioners say

Crystal practitioners associate serpentine with the mind and with meditation. Serpentine is believed to help correct mental and emotional imbalances, encouraging a greater sense of control over one's life.

Serpentine is described by its sellers as an earthing stone that opens new pathways for Kundalini energy.

Crystal practitioners say the stone is said to support the conscious direction of healing energy towards areas of concern. Serpentine is recommended to be cleansed energetically using moonlight, sound, or visualisation.

Serpentine is sometimes described as a stone that should never be brought near the mouth, a warning rather than a healing claim.¹

What testing has found

Gemological researchers at the Gems & Gemology journal examined a serpentine cabochon and found a spot refractive index of 1.56 and a specific gravity of approximately 2.56. Without magnification, the olive green cabochon resembled high-quality jadeite jade. Serpentine and jadeite jade can have a very similar appearance, so identification can be difficult.³⁶⁷

Tests of serpentine beads imitating sugilite were first examined by the Carlsbad laboratory of GIA in 2019. The bead was dyed, as shown by an acetone test producing a light pink streak, and without advanced testing it would have been difficult to conclusively identify the dyed material as serpentine. Micro-Raman spectral analysis identified thread-like inclusions in brown peridot as serpentine.⁶⁸

Raman spectroscopic analysis identified the fibrous horsetail inclusions in the demantoid as serpentine. The authors suggest that horsetail inclusions containing serpentine may point to complicated geological conditions such as decompression. In this case the serpentine layer was hidden by a surface coating, and a closed-back setting could lead to a costly identification error.⁹⁷