PYROPHYLLITE has similar industrial uses to soapstone, but deposits are not as widespread. Much of the pyrophyllite used for carving purposes has a hardness greater than soapstone, somewhere between the hardness of soapstone and alabaster. One of the most commonly carved types of pyrophyllite is a variety from Africa known as Wonderstone.
WONDERSTONE is a natural stone that is quarried in South Africa and it is made up of 58% Silica and 30% Alumina. The hardness is rated at between 1-3 on the MOHS scale. It comes in colours of dark gray and black. Sometimes there is a burgundy plume of color that runs through the stone. In additon to carving, wonderstone is used in the manufacture of synthetic diamonds, electrical heating, computers and ceramic components. Wonderstone can easily be carved with rasps and power tools, is very fine grained and will take a great polish. It can then be sanded with wet and dry sandpaper ( 220, 400, 600, and 1000 grit) then heated and waxed with floor paste or black shoe paste. The wonderstone we carry comes in precut blocks of 6, 50, 90 and 180lbs.
KISSI STONE is a type of pyrophyllite quarried in Kenya and, while identical in hardness and consistency to African wonderstone, its colour ranges from whites, reds, to greys which often combine to form amazing patterns. The Kissi stone the we have in stock comes in both slabs and blocks ranging from 10-500lbs. We can cut the stone into dimensional pieces, but charge a handling fee depending on the amount of cuts.
WONDERSTONE VARIETIES
We provide a number of unusual and varied stones in a wide range of colours. Some of these are better suited to experienced sculptors.
 | African | Extremely consistent stone with colours ranging from jet black to dark grey. Absolutely no cracking. |
 | Kissi | Similiar in consistency to the African Wonderstone but with a wide variety of colours ranging from whites to pinks, oranges and bright red. |
WONDERSTONE PRICE LIST
| Weight (lbs.) | Under 50 | 50 - 100 | 100 - 250 | 250 - 500 | 500 - 750 | 750 - 1000 | 1000 - 2000 | Over 2000 |
| African | $2.75 | $2.75 | $2.50 | $2.50 | $2.25 | $2.25 | $2.25 | $2.10 |
| Kissi | $1.40 | $1.40 | $1.40 | $1.40 | $1.30 | $1.30 | $1.00 | $0.90 |
| For orders over 10,000 lbs, please call for a quote. | ||||||||
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