The uses of a mineral in our everyday life are mind-boggling. Only a fraction of the minerals that are found in the rocks are mined and processed by mankind. About forty types of minerals are used in the making of a computer! Diamond which is the hardest substance is used for making some industrial tools, besides jewellery. Quartz is used in making glass, optics, sand, and is a key component of a computer chip. Talc is used in cosmetics, in the manufacture of paints, paper and plastics. Table salt is derived from halite. This is just the tip of the various uses of minerals. They are so much a part of our everyday life.