Soapstone, or steatite, is a soft metamorphic rock composed primarily of talc. It is usually gray, bluish, green, or brown in colour, and has a ‘soapy’ texture. Soapstone is easily carved and was a popular material for a variety of vessel forms and symbolic or decorative objects world-wide. It has an usual ability to absorb, hold, and radiate heat, and was often used as shaft-straighteners, pipes, boiling stones, and cooking pots.