How Do You Test Alabaster

For example, the types of alabaster can be distinguished from one another by differences in their relative hardness. Gypsum alabaster can be scratched with a fingernail (Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2), while calcite alabaster is soft but requires more effort to scratch or carve (Mohshardness of 3).

What does real alabaster look like?

Genuine alabaster is a minimum of 3/8-inch thick and weighs at least twice as much as imitations. Veins are both translucent and dark and are completely random. If you see two pieces that have the same veining pattern in the same location, they are not genuine.

What does raw alabaster look like?

“Alabaster is a fine-grained, massive, translucent variety of gypsum, a hydrous calcium sulphate. It is pure white or streaked with reddish brown. Like all other forms of gypsum, alabaster forms by the evaporation of bedded deposits that are precipitated mainly from evaporating seawater.