The word marble comes from the Greek mármaros which means shining stone. Marble names are derived from locations of the quarries. Carrara from Italy, Pentelicus from Greece, Proconnesus from Turkey.

Marble is simply limestone or dolomite rock that has been compressed and/or heated deep within the earth’s crust. Marble contains clay minerals, micas, quartz, pyrite, iron oxides, graphite, etc.

Limestone is naturally a crystalline rock and marble can be considered as the recrystallized form of limestone. Unlike granite, marble was never molten rock. Marble is softer than granite because it is made entirely of calcite. Marble is susceptible to chips and scratches when any heavy items fall on its surface.

Marble is occurring in a wide range of colors. Marble formed from a limestone is white and mixed with other minerals can be bluish, gray, pink, yellow or black.

Marble is found all over the world but not all can be used for home décor. The largest amount and types of marble are found in the United States and Europe. Other countries where marble can be found are Germany, Greece, United Kingdom, Russia, Macedonia, Romania, Sweden, Brazil, China. The rich Roman and European architectures that have been carved out of marble have come from Italy.

Marble is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material as floor tiles, architectural panels, facing stone, window sills, stair treads or columns. Marble is easy to carve sculptures and ornamental objects and it can be polished to a high luster.