Despite the abundance of silicons in the Earth's crust, not all minerals contain silicon. The atoms of many metals, which tend to lose electrons and become positively charged, like to bond with other atoms or groups of atoms that tend to gain atoms and become negatively charged. For example, atoms of sodium, a metal, and chlorine, a non-metal, pair up in equal numbers to form sodium chloride, also known as halite (or common table salt). Other important types of non-silicate minerals include carbonates, with metals bonded to groups of carbon and oxygen atoms; oxides, with metals joined to oxygen alone; sulfides, which consist of metal and sulfur atoms; and sulfates, in which groups of sulfur and oxygen atoms are joined with metal atoms.

About 200 years ago, scientists studying electricity realized that metals allowed electrical currents to flow through them much more easily than most nonmetals. Because of its relative abundance, high electrical conductivity, and malleability (or ability to be shaped), copper has become the standard material for electrical wiring and switching. Certain types of low-iron silicates, such as muscovite and pyrophyllite, are naturally occurring electrical insulators. Glass or porcelain insulators, made from such minerals as quartz and feldspar, keep high-voltage power-transmission lines from touching their poles. Pyrolusite is the naturally occurring mineral version of manganese oxide, which is inside every non-rechargeable alkaline battery. Gasoline-powered articles start their engines with a jolt of electricity from lead-acid batteries, which get their lead from the mineral galena. Other rechargeable batteries contain nickel, cadmium, or other metals, found in a variety of ores.

Gemstones are minerals that are cut and polished to make beautiful "stones" for jewelry and other adornments. Humans traditionally consider diamonds, rubies, sapphires, and emeralds to be the four "precious" gemstones, with all other gemstones called "semiprecious." Many gems are transparent, meaning they allow some or most of the incident light to pass through them. To make a stone sparkle, gemcutters cut and polish the facets, or flat outer surfaces, of a gemstone to boost the number of times a light beam will reflect internally before leaving the stone and reaching the eye. Some semiprecious stones, such as malachite and lapis lazuli (a rock containing the mineral lazurite), are opaque to light; gemcutters polish them to a high gloss, without facets. This shiny, rounded type of gemstone is called a cabochon. Corundum (ruby or sapphire) specimens that contain tiny fibers of other minerals also may be cut into cabochons to create a luminous "star" effect on the stone's surface.