Is your crystal Toxic? (S's)

Img: Septarian

There are many crystals that are toxic when put in water, and many that are toxic out of water. Use this list to see if yours is and how you should store it if it is.

As the list is too long for one blog post, this is the part that covers the "'S's".

For the rest of the alphabet, please see the other blog posts under the 'Toxic Crystals' Category.

It is always advised to avoid making potions with gems that are toxic (even if only by a little bit) and should also avoid placing gems inside the body.

Many toxic gems listed include aluminium and a few other elements which are only toxic in exceptionally high doses.

Once polished, stones are generally fine to wear and use but you should be careful if you are the one cutting and polishing them (wear a mask to avoid breathing in particles) and be careful if they should break.

The last 2 columns are completed to the best of my knowledge - I have not heard of many of these stones and some have surprised me but generally speaking, if it's toxic and rough, put it in a box, if it's polished then it has a layer of protection on it so should be safe. It's always best to err on the side of caution though.

Name	Toxicity Risk	What makes it toxic	What should I do with it if it's rough?	Is it ok polished?
Saltwater Pearls	High	Organic Material	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Samarskite	High	Lead, Uranium, Rare Earth Elements, Soluble	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume
Sanidine	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sapphire	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sapphirine	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Scapolite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Scorodite	High	Arsenic, Soluble in acids	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume
Sellaite	High	Can react dangerously if swallowed	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume
Senarmontite	Low	Antimony, soluble in water	Avoid contact with water, should be fine to handle, kep away from pets, little fingers and damp areas to be safe
Serandite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Serpentine	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Shattuckite	Medium	Copper, soluble in acids	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Shell	High	Organic Material	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Shortite	None known	Water soluble	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Siderite	None Known	Soluble in acids	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sillimanite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Simpsonite	Medium	Tantalum, soluble in acids	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume
Sinhalite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Smaltite	High	Arsenic cobalt, nickel, soluble in acids	Keep in a specimen box away from pets, little fingers and damp areas, do not consume

Smithsonite	Medium	Zinc, soluble in acids	Do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas, wash hands after handling
Smoky Quartz	High	Silicosis	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sodalite	None Known	Soluble in acids	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sogdianite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Spessartite Garnet			Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sphalerite			Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sphene (titanite			Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Spinel			Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Spodumene	Low	Lithium	Do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas, wash hands after handling
Spurrite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Staurolite			Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Stibiotantalite	Low	Antimony, Niobium, Tantalum	Should be fine to handle, do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas to be safe	Fine to handle, do not consume
Stichtite	None Known	Soluble in acids	Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Stolzite	High	Lead, Tungsten	Do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas, wash hands after handling
Strontianite	Low	Strontium	Should be fine to handle, do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas to be safe
Sugilite	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume
Sulfur	High	Sulfur	Do not consume, keep out of reach of little fingers, pets and damp areas, wash hands after handling
Sunstone	None Known		Fine to handle, do not consume	Fine to handle, do not consume

*list is taken from gemsociety.org with 2 columns added on for your peace of mind

Source: gemsociety.org