Although the 10 Commandments do not have 12 different stones, there are two possibilities on the material used for the tablets.
The overall weight of the stones carried up the mountain was probably no more than 10 pounds meaning that the normal image presented in paintings is simply too heavy to be carried up the mountain. The abundance of clay and shale in the region and the uncovering of artifacts with engravings gives one possibility for the actual stone that carried the handwriting of the Lord down from the mountain to the people of Israel.
On one site the author believes that the 10 Commandments were carved on a blue stone similar to sapphire. The stone is actually a lapis which is a dark color and is somewhat delicate. It could be easily engraved without breaking and is a softer mineral than the some of the other gems mentioned in the Bible.
Another source believes that the 10 Commandments were carved on an emerald stone. Rather than the green color we associate with the stone today, the more common form of the stone was a deep red color. http://rockhoundingar.com/miscellaneous/bible.html
Just think, the 10 Commandments were a directive from God that would help his people shine like a brilliant jewel in a land where others lived in darkness.
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