The Junior Rockhounds typically meet on the first Saturday of the month at the clubhouse. The Junior Rockhounds met on November 5th at the clubhouse, and we learned about soapstone. Soapstone has a greasy or soapy feel, it comes in green, brown, grey, and white. Composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc, soapstone offers 3 major benefits: heat resistance/retention, acid resistance, and absorption resistance (non-porosity). It’s used to make talcum powder and cosmetics. It’s widely used as a lubricant and as insulation in high-voltage electrical equipment. Because soapstone has a hardness between 1 and 2, it is widely used as carving material. It is now becoming popular as countertops, sinks, floors, hearths, stoves, and more. Soapstone can be found in North Georgia in Chatsworth and Fort Mountain. Talc was mined up until 1990; they now mine limestone. Mary Ingram then showed everyone how to make a raised carving. It was fun and easy. The results were outstanding.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Janie Bailey, Carole Sneed, and Mary Ingram for all their help this year, Jim Haege for all the rocks, Bill Hart for sharing his collections and knowledge, and all the members that donated jewelry-making supplies.