DURABILITY AND STRENGTH

     Soapstone, also known as steatite, is not only a hardwearing stone but is also highly versatile, of great aesthetic beauty and can be put to many different uses. Its strength and durability can be likened to marble whit the advantage of being ovenproof and resistant to very high temperatures. These features make it the ideal choice for both interior an exterior applications. However, it should not be confused with talcstone and altogether weaker and more fragile stone used mainly for adornments.
     The first recorded use of soapstone in Europe dates from the beginning of the 15th century. Due to its noble qualities and versatility, it was used to embellish palaces, to cook with and to conserve food in. Over the last twenty years its use has increased in cold climates in the construction of stoves for interior heating.

     In Brazil, we immediately associate soapstone with Mineiro Boroque. In the hands of mastercraftsman “ Aleijadinho” – the little crippled one - the stone was immortalized in the shape of church decorations and single sculptures. Christ the Redeemer in Rio, one of Brazil’s best known scenes is totally lined in a soapstone mantle.
    Yet, in addition to its technical specifications that make a highly practical material for the widest of uses, soapstone also confers a sense of elegance on those environments it touches; the art of natural material implacable in the face of time that also sits happily alongside technological innovation.