雪花石膏是一种材料，为块状石膏状矿物。几个世纪以来用于雕塑、雕刻及其他装饰品。一般是雪白色，半透明，并能人工染色；通过热处理它可变成不透明，外貌类似大理石。化学上，雪花石膏指的是两种不同的矿物质：石膏是一种含水的硫酸钙；而方解石则是碳酸钙的一种。总体来说，埃及和中近东的古代雪花石膏一般是方解石，而欧洲中世纪的雪花石膏则一般是石膏。现代的雪花石膏大多是方解石，但也可能是石膏。两种材料都可较容易雕塑，并都稍许溶于水，主要用于室内艺术品和雕塑，在室外则保存寿命有限。

虽然成品外形相似，雪花石膏不是汉白玉：后者为石材，即白色大理石。雪花石膏主要用于室内雕塑和装饰，汉白玉（大理石）则广泛用于建筑和室外雕塑和装饰。

Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals when used as a material: gypsum (a hydrous sulfate of calcium); and calcite, a carbonate of calcium, also known as onyx-marble, Egyptian alabaster, or Oriental alabaster. In geological terms, alabaster is "a stalagmitic limestone marked with patterns of swirling bands of cream and brown". In general (but not always), ancient alabaster is calcite in Egypt, the Near East, and the Middle East. Alabaster is gypsum in medieval Europe. Modern alabaster is probably calcite, but may be either. Both are easy to work and both are slightly water-soluble. They have been used for making a variety of indoor artworks and carvings, as they will not survive long outdoors.