Stone sculpture stone carving. Alabaster and softer kinds of serpentine, all about 3 on the Mohs scale, are more durable than soapstone. Alabaster, in particular, has long been cherished for its translucence. Limestone and sandstone, at about 4 on the Mohs scale, are the only sedimentary stones commonly carved. Limestone comes in a popular oolitic variety, about twice as hard as alabaster, that is excellent for carving. The harder serpentines can also reach 4 on the Mohs scale. Marble, travertine, and onyx are at about 6 on the Mohs scale. Marble has been the preferred stone for sculptors in the European tradition
Ion (name) can also be a surname in Romanian. Another variant is Ioan, the Romanian name for John the Baptist (Ioan Botezătorul). Common diminutives are Ionel and Ionuț. Its female form is Ioana. The surname Ionescu derives from Ion. Ion (name) Ion is a masculine given name. The name form in English corresponds to two different and unrelated names from different original languages. The first name is the Greek, "Iōn", after the mythical founder of the Ionians; the modern (demotic) Greek equivalent of the name is "Ionas". The source of this is the Hebrew Yavan, alternatively transliterated as ι-o-ν (Yut Vav/digamma Nun),