| In
the late 1870's a deposit of stone with
remarkable qualities was opened in Albemarle
County, Virginia. For centuries before
Native Americans had sought out this stone
for bowls and other utensils, many of which
may be seen today in public museums and
private collections. The stone was soft
enough to be easily shaped and yet was so
dense and close-grained as to have a
crushing strength equal to that of granite.
It was non-absorbent, non-staining,
unaffected by extreme temperatures and
possessed chemical characteristics making it
acid-proof and alkali-proof. |
Stone Maul Reproduction - Larry Richardson |
Geologically speaking, BLACKPEARL is a "steatite" - but
a steatite with unique and exclusive characteristics
possessed by no other natural stone or artificial
material. It is a natural product from Nature's own
laboratory, ages in the making.
BLACKPEARL affords the following very important
advantages:
1) It is dense, close-grained, with practically no
stratification or natural cleavage lines and has a high
transverse strength and high resistance to crushing. It
resists the tendency to split, flake, chip or spall,
even under extreme temperatures For these reasons, it
lends itself perfectly to the processes of sculptural
carving. No other natural stone can be worked in like
manner and retain the sharp corners, smooth surfaces and
fine detail distinctive of a sculpture executed in this
unique stone.
2) It is so dense as to be practically non-absorbent -
tests have shown an absorption, by weight, of only a
fraction of 1% of moisture; and this is only a mere
surface penetration which quickly dries off. Because of
its non-absorbent qualities, combined with chemical
inertness, making it acid-and-alkali resistant, it is
practically non-staining and excellent for outdoor
sculpture. Slight stains that may occur are only on the
surface and are easily removed by sanding.
3) Its color is a pleasing gray, reflecting light
freely, yet not showing dirty marks. When sealed with
wax or oil the color turns to a deep rich hue of black,
affording a remarkable range of light and shade for the
sculptural pallet.
|
Ideal Stone for Sculpture Classes
BLACKPEARL is the ideal stone for use in
sculpture classes. Because it is of the
highest quality, it facilitates the teaching
process by allowing students to spend more
time exploring sculptural concepts rather
than encountering difficulties related to
the stone itself. Each piece of BLACKPEARL
is checked thoroughly before shipment to
ensure that it is free of faults, fissures,
and hard inclusions. These imperfections can
be especially frustrating for the beginning
carver. The stone can be worked with a
minimum number of basic tools.
Testing for Quality - Take a woodcarving
chisel or knife blade and scrape an area
flat. If the stone texture is consistent,
there will be no bumps or hard spots and
will carve well. In most cases, a fault can
be seen by wetting the stone and watching it
dry. If the stone has a fault, you will see
lingering wetness along the fault line as
the stone dries.
|
Jill
Lion - sculptor |
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