Supreme

DescriptionSoapstone is composed primarily of talc, and has been used for most of recorded history as a carving medium; examples thousands of years old are still extant from Egyptian, Assyrian, and Chinese cultures. The term ‘talc’ was first used in AD 869 to describe minerals that were largely composed of what we now know as talc.

OccurrenceTalc is formed under hydrothermal conditions and is a typical mineral of weaker regional metamorphism (regional dynamo-thermometamorphism). It often occurs in association with chlorite, serpentine, or magnesite. The main parent rocks that undergo metamorphic mineral reactions leading to talc formation are either ( magnesite-bearing) siliceous dolomites, or olivine- and/or pyroxene- containing ultrabasics. In ultrabasic rocks, talc is often a product of hydrothermal alteration (autometasomatism). In commercially important deposits, talc occurs in association with tremolite, calcite, quartz, and dolomite, as the product of a more intense regional metamorphism of siliceous dolomites, and with forsterite and anthophyllite due to intense regional metamorphic overprint of ultrabasics. However, talc can also be observed as an authigenic new formation, e.g., in sandy sediments and salt deposits. Other minerals that occur in association with talc include chlorites, mica, actinolite, feldspars, rutile, pyrrhotite, pyrite, magnetite, and hematite. Limonite, a product of the weathering of iron- containing minerals, especially iron- containing ore minerals, can often be found interspersed with talc.

HistoryTalc, soapstone, and steatite have been used by humans as raw materials since prehistoric times. Molds carved from soapstone were used in the Bronze Age and early Iron Age for casting weapons and tools. In the Mediterranean cultures of the classical period, stone carvings were made from soapstone, and talc was used for treating wounds and in the production of cosmetic powder. In ancient Rome, women used large amounts of powder and rouge. The properties of talc, especially its characteristic greasy feel, were described by Pliny the Elder. The old Arabic word talq, which indicates its greasy nature, gave its name to the mineral. In 1550, Catherin de Medici made it once again fashionable to use facial makeup in the form of powdered talc colored by the addition of pigments, a fashion that found innumerable imitators and has continued without interruption until today.