Polished, marble and quartzite can look confusingly alike: both veined, both with depth. The difference lies in their origin, and it determines how they behave in everyday life.
From lime or from sand
Marble forms when limestone is transformed by heat and pressure. Its main mineral is calcite.
Quartzite forms from sandstone. Under heat and pressure, the individual quartz grains fuse so tightly that an extremely dense rock is created. Its main mineral is quartz.
Hardness
On the Mohs hardness scale, calcite is around 3 and quartz around 7. A steel knife can scratch marble, but as a rule not genuine quartzite. Quartzite is therefore considered much more scratch-resistant.
Acid
Calcite reacts with acid. Lemon juice, vinegar or wine leave matte spots on polished marble. Quartz is largely unaffected by these household acids.
What this means for a case
With a stone layer of 0.8 to 1.2 millimetres, every natural stone remains what it is: a brittle material. Hardness protects against scratches, not against breaks from a hard impact. That is why the stone in our cases sits in a protective frame.
For your choice, this means: you choose marble for its pattern and soft sheen, and accept that it collects marks over time. Quartzite is the more robust, calmer choice.
At ROXXLYN
- Quartzite: Black Venom – black quartzite with light veining, in the Quartzite Case Pro.
- Marble: including Nero Marquina, Nero Portoro, Rosso Levanto, Arabescato Orobico Grigio and Verde Alpi.
Both stones are polished and benefit from a wax polish when they turn matte. More in the care guide.