For geologists, the matter is clear: marble is limestone that has been transformed by heat and pressure and completely recrystallised in the process. In the stone trade, on the other hand, almost any polishable, decorative stone is called marble. Both languages have been in use for centuries. We think you should know both.
Our stones, taken a closer look at
Nero Marquina · Basque Country, Spain
A black, partly recrystallised limestone with white calcite veins.
Nero Portoro · Liguria, Italy
A fine-grained black limestone from the coast near Porto Venere. The golden veins contain iron compounds such as limonite and pyrite.
Arabescato Orobico Grigio · Lombardy, Italy
It comes from the Val Brembana in the Bergamo Alps. Geologically, it is a banded Triassic limestone formed around 225 million years ago on a tropical shallow-water platform – comparable to today’s Bahamas. The lively pattern to which it owes the name “Arabescato” is due in part to iron oxides.
Rosso Levanto · Liguria, Italy
The deep red comes from the area around Levanto on the Ligurian coast. Geologically, Rosso Levanto is a serpentinite breccia: shattered rock from the earth’s mantle that once lay beneath an ocean and was cemented back together by a network of white calcite veins.
Verde Alpi · Aosta Valley, Italy
The green stone from the Western Alps is a serpentinite, likewise formed from former oceanic rock, with light calcite veining. In the trade, “Verde Alpi” is also a collective name for several green stones from the region.
Why this matters to you
However different their origins, these stones have two things in common:
- They can be polished. That is why they bear the name marble, and why a wax polish helps them when they turn matte.
- They contain calcite. Acid from lemon, vinegar or wine can attack the polished surface. So wipe off splashes straight away.
How to clean and polish your stone is shown in the care guide.