Other rocks are also confused with verdite. Green aventurine is a quartzite colored by flakes of fuchsite. Macrocrystalline quartz sometimes has a green color caused by abundant fuchsite inclusions. The jade minerals, jadeite and nephrite, have frequently been confused with verdite. This problem is compounded by some vendors who market verdite under the misnomer of “African jade”. Dyed quartzite and dyed chalcedony are also…

In nature, buddstone is often found in intimate association with verdite, and there is sometimes a gradient of one material into another. [6] People often use the names “verdite” and “buddstone” interchangeably – but there should be no confusion. The solution to this confusion is the Mohs hardness test. Buddstone (Mohs hardness of 7) is…

Buddstone is a bright green variety of chalcedony that derives its green color from abundant inclusions of fuchsite mica. As a chalcedony, buddstone has a hardness of about 7 on the Mohs scale – which makes it much more durable than verdite. It also polishes to a brighter luster. This makes buddstone the preferred material for…

Verdite is soft and it often has a uniform texture. Those properties make it a good stone for making small sculptures. The people of South Africa have used verdite for generations, and it is often considered to be part of their culture. Some verdite contains visible inclusions of red (ruby) corundum. Some sculptors have creatively integrated…

“Verdite” is a trade name used for grayish green to bright green metamorphic rocks that derive their color from abundant inclusions of fuchsite, a chromium-rich variety of muscovite mica. It often exhibits a foliated texture. The name verdite is from the Latin word viridis, which means “green”. Verdite is found at numerous locations in South Africa, the Kingdom of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), and Zimbabwe. It…