Alabaster is the hardest variety of gypsum. In the row of precious minerals alabaster takes one of the last places. It is considered a semiprecious stone of the lowest third order. Side by side with such minerals as agalmatolite, selenite and gagite, alabaster relates to so-called soft stones that can be used for cutting figures and statuettes. They are easy to polish with the help of finishing instruments. The final polish is made with the wax. It is well known that in ancient Greece alabaster was the name of a small pear-shaped bottle in which Greeks kept perfumes and medical drugs. The items of alabaster are very fragile. They break easily after falling. Perhaps, namely the fragility of alabaster gave the birth to popular belief that the person who will dream of alabaster article will get a large win in gambling.
In addition to that, the time sometimes spares the items of alabaster. In the famous British museum you can see female alabaster statue from the tomb of Izida. This figure dates back 6 century BC. Scientist found a lot of alabaster articles such as lamps, vases, animal figures, in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Alabaster as a material for different articles was popular in the 19th century. In modern international antique auctions one could see alabaster sculptures that were cut over hundred years ago. This mineral is frequently used for cutting beads.
Usually alabaster is white. However, it can also have other color shades. Besides, alabaster is easy to paint. The most valuable alabaster has peach color. The figures cut of this kind of alabaster can be semitransparent and seem to shine with inner light. In nature there are crystals of alabaster. The deposits of this mineral are found in Germany (Thuringia), England (Derbyshire), on the shores of Persian Gulf, in Italy and France. On the territory of USA alabaster is produced in Colorado State.
