Round box Christian fish blue - soapstone

Width: 10cm Our soapstone products come exclusively from Tabaka/Kenya. Tabaka is a place with about 10,000 inhabitants and is about 25km away from Kisii (about 100,000 inhabitants), hence the common name “soapstone from Kisii” (although you cannot buy soapstone anywhere in Kisii town itself). Soapstone (steatite) is a soft natural stone. The color of the stones varies between white, grey, yellow and reddish tones and is often streaked with beautiful veins. The raw material is mined on site in various quarries. Above all, caulking chisels are used for this. The carvers are i.d. Usually self-employed artists who specialize in one product area. The orders then come from around 100 small dealers (small family businesses or self-help groups) on site. The carver uses chisels, knives, scrapers and sandpaper as tools. The product delivered by the carver to the dealers is still "angular and edgy". The finishing touches, the washing of the stone, the waxing and the polishing are then usually carried out by women from the family at the dealer. The 100% handwork causes the differences in shape.