A hand-carved African elephant sculpture made from natural serpentine stone by the Shona people of Zimbabwe. This smaller piece stands 10cm (4 inches) tall, with the natural grain and colour of the stone giving every sculpture its own individual character.

Shona stone sculpture is a centuries-old Zimbabwean tradition, with elephants chosen for their symbolic meaning of strength and wisdom. Each piece comes with a story card describing the artisans and their craft.

A fair trade piece that makes an accessible, giftable introduction to Shona stone carving, or a neat addition to a shelf or collection.

🪨 Shona
Stone Carving: Zimbabwe’s Living Art Form

The Shona people of Zimbabwe are world-renowned for their expressive stone
sculptures—an art movement that blends ancestral tradition with modern
creativity. Each piece is hand-carved from native stone and often reflects
themes of family, spirituality, and nature.

⛏️ 1.
Sourcing the Stone

• Sculptors
  mine serpentine, springstone, opal stone, and other local varieties
  from open-cast pits.
• Stones
  are chosen for their color, texture, and hardness, often based on
  the artist’s vision.

✏️ 2.
Sketching and Roughing Out

• Artists
  sketch the design directly onto the stone using charcoal.
• Using chisels,
  hammers, and punch tools, they strip away excess rock to reveal the
  basic form.

🪚 3.
Refining the Shape

• The
  sculpture is shaped with files, rasps, and grinders—or just hand
  tools when electricity isn’t available.

Fine details are added gradually, often
inspired by dreams, family stories, or spiritual beliefs

🧽 4. Sanding
and Smoothing

• Wet
  sanding with progressively finer sandpaper brings out the stone’s
  natural luster.
• This
  step is labor-intensive and may be shared among apprentices or family
  members.

🔥 5.
Polishing with Wax

• The
  sculpture is heated over fire or with a blowtorch to open the
  stone’s pores.
• Layers
  of clear wax are applied and buffed as the stone cools, creating a
  rich, glossy finish.

Shona carving isn’t just technique—it’s
storytelling in stone. Artists like Dominic Benhura and Colleen Madamombe have
elevated the form to global acclaim.

Caution – stone is fragile. It can be damaged if not handled
with care.

The stone is 100% natural so it will last generations if
handled with care.

The wax coating can be affected by UV rays from the sun …
should a piece become dull looking or get a scratch, you can let it warm in the
sun and apply a clear ‘carnauba wax’ or clear shoe polish. After applying, let
cool and buff with clean, soft terry cloth to renew the polished finish.

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