This page brings together 37 minerals whose names start with the letter S, running alphabetically from “Sapphire” to “Sengierite.” You’ll find a wide mix here, from prized gemstones and metal ores to rare collector specimens. Many of these minerals are valued for jewelry and ornamental carving, while others serve important industrial roles as sources of zinc, tin, silver, and other useful metals.
Minerals are naturally occurring solid materials with a defined chemical makeup and an orderly internal crystal structure. People have treasured them for thousands of years, and some famous “rubies” set in royal crowns turned out to be spinel rather than true ruby. From everyday salt to glittering gems, minerals shape both nature and human history.
Below you’ll find the table with the mineral names and their descriptions.
Mineral: This gives you the common name of each mineral, listed in alphabetical order so you can quickly scan the page and locate the one you want.
Description: This offers a short, plain overview of each mineral, including its color, key traits, and main uses, helping you understand what makes it notable.
Minerals
| Mineral |
|---|
| Sapphire |
| Sphalerite |
| Stibnite |
| Spinel |
| Sulfur |
| Serpentine |
| Siderite |
| Smithsonite |
| Sodalite |
| Staurolite |
| Sillimanite |
| Scheelite |
| Stilbite |
| Sylvite |
| Sphene |
| Scapolite |
| Sulvanite |
| Sugilite |
| Spessartine |
| Sanidine |
| Stichtite |
| Senarmontite |
| Strontianite |
| Sperrylite |
| Stephanite |
| Stannite |
| Sylvanite |
| Selenite |
| Smaltite |
| Sulphohalite |
| Stolzite |
| Schorl |
| Sapphirine |
| Scolecite |
| Skutterudite |
| Stilpnomelane |
| Sengierite |
Descriptions
Sapphire
A gem variety of corundum prized for its rich blue color, though it occurs in many hues. It is extremely hard, second only to diamond, making it popular in fine jewelry.
Sphalerite
The chief ore of zinc, with a resinous luster and colors ranging from pale yellow to dark brown. It often forms in lustrous tetrahedral crystals.
Stibnite
A soft, lead-gray sulfide of antimony and its primary ore. It forms striking elongated, blade-like crystals that are highly sought by collectors.
Spinel
A hard, glassy oxide mineral found in many colors, with red varieties long mistaken for ruby. Famous historic “rubies” in royal crowns are actually spinel.
Sulfur
A bright yellow native element often deposited around volcanic vents and hot springs. It has a faint odor and burns with a blue flame.
Serpentine
A group of greenish, often patterned minerals formed by the alteration of magnesium-rich rocks. Some varieties are carved as ornamental stone.
Siderite
An iron carbonate mineral and a minor ore of iron, usually brownish in color. It forms in sedimentary and hydrothermal settings.
Smithsonite
A zinc carbonate often forming rounded, botryoidal masses in soft blue-green or pink hues. It is named after the founder of the Smithsonian Institution.
Sodalite
A deep blue mineral often flecked with white, used as a gemstone and carving material. It fluoresces orange under ultraviolet light.
Staurolite
A brown silicate famous for forming cross-shaped twinned crystals known as “fairy crosses.” These natural crosses are collected as good-luck tokens.
Sillimanite
An aluminum silicate that forms in high-temperature metamorphic rocks, often as fibrous masses. Its gem-quality form shows a silky cat’s-eye effect.
Scheelite
A calcium tungstate and important ore of tungsten that glows bright blue under ultraviolet light. Its heavy weight helps distinguish it from look-alikes.
Stilbite
A common zeolite mineral that forms sheaf-like or bowtie-shaped crystal bundles. It is frequently found lining cavities in volcanic basalt.
Sylvite
A potassium chloride mineral, salty and bitter to taste, mined as a source of potash fertilizer. It often occurs alongside common rock salt.
Sphene
Also called titanite, a calcium titanium silicate known for its brilliant fire and yellow-green to brown colors. Clear crystals are cut as collector gems.
Scapolite
A silicate group that can occur in yellow, pink, or violet gem-quality crystals. Some specimens display a cat’s-eye effect when polished.
Sulvanite
A rare copper vanadium sulfide mineral with a bronze-yellow metallic color. It is sought mainly by mineral collectors.
Sugilite
A purple to magenta silicate prized as a gemstone since its discovery in the twentieth century. The richest violet material is highly valued.
Spessartine
An orange to reddish-brown garnet rich in manganese. Bright “mandarin” colored stones are popular in jewelry.
Sanidine
A high-temperature variety of potassium feldspar found in volcanic rocks. It often appears as glassy, transparent crystals.
Stichtite
A soft, lilac to pink magnesium-chromium mineral often found intergrown with green serpentine. The contrast makes it a striking ornamental stone.
Senarmontite
A white to grayish antimony oxide that forms octahedral crystals. It results from the weathering of antimony ores like stibnite.
Strontianite
A strontium carbonate mineral, often pale and forming needle-like crystals. It is a minor source of strontium used in fireworks and flares.
Sperrylite
A platinum arsenide and one of the few important platinum-bearing minerals. Its tin-white metallic crystals are highly prized.
Stephanite
A dark, brittle silver antimony sulfide and a minor ore of silver. It forms short metallic crystals in hydrothermal veins.
Stannite
A bronze to gray copper-iron-tin sulfide and a minor ore of tin. It is also known as tin pyrites.
Sylvanite
A silver-white telluride of gold and silver and an important gold ore. It can tarnish to a yellowish color over time.
Selenite
A clear, colorless variety of gypsum that forms in glassy or fibrous crystals. Large transparent blades and “desert roses” are popular with collectors.
Smaltite
A cobalt-bearing arsenide mineral historically used as an ore of cobalt. It commonly tarnishes to a grayish surface.
Sulphohalite
A rare colorless to greenish sodium sulfate-chloride mineral. It is found in dry lake bed deposits.
Stolzite
A lead tungstate mineral occurring in yellow, brown, or reddish crystals. It is sought primarily by collectors.
Schorl
The common black variety of tourmaline, rich in iron and widely distributed. It often forms long, striated columnar crystals.
Sapphirine
A rare blue to greenish silicate that forms in high-grade metamorphic rocks. Transparent crystals are occasionally cut as rare gems.
Scolecite
A delicate white zeolite that forms slender, needle-like radiating crystals. It is often found in cavities of volcanic rock.
Skutterudite
A tin-white cobalt-nickel arsenide and an ore of cobalt and nickel. It commonly forms cubic and octahedral crystals.
Stilpnomelane
A dark, micaceous iron silicate found in metamorphic and iron-rich rocks. It superficially resembles biotite mica.
Sengierite
A rare green copper uranium vanadate mineral. It forms thin, scaly crystals and is collected as a uranium curiosity.