Carrara marble
Snowy white or cream with an extraordinary inner glow, marble is without doubt the most beautiful of
all stones, cherished since the days of Ancient Egypt. For sculptors it is the finest of all stones, carved
into shining statues such as Bernini's Ecstasy of St Theresa and Michelangelo's David. Polished marble
slabs have been used to face buildings from the Taj Mahal to the most modern skyscraper.
•
Identification: Pure marble is
white but even pure marble can
be stained grey by specks of
graphite, or diopside like this.
However, grey marble may
be bleached snow
white by contact
with a hot
intrusion.