Verde Evolene

Über Verde Evolene

Vert d'Evolène (locally 'Pîrra teindra', meaning soft stone) is a distinctive green metamorphic rock from Evolène in the Hérens Valley, Valais, Switzerland. Its composition — talc, serpentine, carbonate, and chlorite — gives it an unusually low hardness for a decorative stone, making it workable with woodworking tools such as saws and lathes. StoneContact classifies it commercially as gneiss, though its mineralogy (serpentine, talc, chlorite) is consistent with an ophiolitic or ultramafic-derived metamorphic rock; the input group 'Serpentinite' may better reflect the true petrology. Less than 1% of Alpine stones match this lithology, giving the stone significant rarity and heritage value. It has been used by craftsmen and artists since prehistoric times, and today appears in façades, countertops, sculptures, and ornamental applications.