Sepiolite, also known as Meerschaum, is a hydrated magnesium silicate. It is a very soft and light rock, rating only a 2.5 on the hardness scale. In fact, the rock is light and porous enough to float on water, and therefore was named after the German term for sea foam.
Sepiolite has a dull to greasy luster and can be white or gray, with a red or yellowish tinge of color. It is usually found as compact, opaque masses, with an earthy or chalky appearance.
Because of its softness, the stone can be easily fashioned and intricately carved. It is still widely used in Turkey as the material carved to make pipe bowls. As time passes, the smoke that passes through the pipe changes the stone's color from white to an attractive yellow.
Sepiolite is found in Czechoslovakia, Spain, Greece and the United States.
