Soapstone is a soft stone that is made up mostly of talc. It feels slightly soapy to touch, hence the name. Because soapstone is so soft, it is often used to carve sculptures and household items from.
Sodalite is a blue stone that is found in large veins. It is one of the minerals found in lapis lazuli. Large quantities of sodalite are opaque but the individual small crystals are transparent.
Scientific name: S
Sulfur, also spelt sulphur, is a bright yellow element that is commonly found in nature. It is found in pure form around volcanoes and can also be mined.
Sulfur is essential to life, and is used in a variety of ways. It is a component of gunpowder, it is used as a preservative, in the head of matches, is found in fertilizer and many other uses. Many things that contain sulfur smell bad, and sulfur is found in skunk smell and garlic.
Talc is the softest stone there is. It can be ground up and turned into talcum powder. The chemical composition of talc is hydrated magnesium silicate. Talc is typically found as a translucent grey-green stone.
Tanzanite is a mineral that looks a different colour depending on what angle you look at it from - it can be sapphire blue, violet, or burgundy. Tanzanite is a rare gem, found mostly in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tis forTiger's eye
Pure topaz is made from crystalline silicate of aluminium and fluorine. When it is pure it has no colour, but can be coloured pale yellow, brown, pale green, reddish or even rare instances blue if the stone contains impurities.
Topaz has been used in jewellery for thousands of years, and originally any clear yellow stone was called topaz. Now only stones that are the correct chemical composition can be called topaz.
