I don't know. I don't really like the idea of metals and minerals being this "fixed." I would imagine that different cultures and groups have differing ideas about the properties on minerals, metals, woods, etc, and that those ideas work for whatever magic the group uses. So, while Orlanthi relate rocks and green things with Earth, and would sensibly imagine a chunk of jade to have "Earth properties," a Kralori would know that jade is a celestial thing with Draconic associations. The jade could be made into an Earth charm or a symbol of Mastery for an Imperial Official depending on who was working it. Likewise, lead that has been sitting in an Uz castle for centuries is unlikely to have anything but Darkness associations.
Of course, many minerals (especially crystals) have their own "ideas" about what they are which would affect their properties. A piece of jade wored into an axe head by some BB Gor hero is a BB Gor thing, unsuitable for reworking into a Kralori tool or even a more gentle Earth use.
The current system seems like a Godlearner thing -- a compiling of many different associations, with the most common and overlapping uses selected and refined to create a uniform system that is "true" in general and often "false" in specifics. Lead has a strong resonance with Darkness; cultures who have regular contact with Darkness powers realize this and believe that's what lead "is." In the West, where there seems to be a lot less contact with Uz and Darkness, the Wizards might focus on lead's heaviness and consider it a perfect example of the base material of the world. Similarly, in the West, where iron is fairly common, iron may not have the dread reputation it has in central Genertela.
Anyway, I think that any "elemental materials" system should leave room for variation.
Peter Larsen
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