Marble is a commonly used stone, which is distinctive in pattern, durable and practical for different types of flooring and even sculptures. This stone is created over time, occurring naturally as the result of extreme heat and pressure on limestone. The distinctive crystalline structure of marble allows it to be polished to a high gloss finish, creating a beautiful sheen. Marble is available in both shiny mirror-like finish, which is ideal for interiors and hallways or in matt finish for bathrooms.

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Often used in construction for centuries and still standing strong, granite is a solid, durable and versatile natural stone. Granite is an ingenuous rock formed very dense with no pores due to the extreme pressure within the depths of the earth. The slow cooling causes the main minerals in granite to grow to easily visible sizes resulting in a multitude of unique colours and patterns that can be used to create special walkways, driveways or table tops such as functional kitchen tops or showcase counters.

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Moulded over millions of years from sea shells and bones of sea creatures settling on the ocean floor, limestone is often said to be a sedimentary stone. The calcium in the bones and shells integrate with carbon dioxide in water to form calcium carbonate, which is the basic mineral structure of all limestone and marble. The result is a smooth chalky natural stone embedded with deep set fossil patterns which is visually attractive as well as suitable for a variety of surfaces. Limestone creates a feeling of calm and serenity in an interior, while looking classy and stylish.

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A classic inspiration would be the timeless travertine, which was created in the era between limestone and marble. The time period would be within a span of approximately 20 million years of rock formation, where dissolved limestone undergoes intense pressure from steam and hot water under the earth’s inner core. The rising hot water dissolves the limestone and moulds granules from below, forming mud beds on the surface. Over time the mud beds cool and crystallise into solid stone called travertine.

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Originally derived from sandstone, quartzite is a hard, metamorphic rock which is significant through its natural hues which are classy and stylish, ideal for timeless interior surfaces. The heating and pressure usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts combine the original quartz sand grains and quartz silica cement into a solid stone with patterns. Pure quartzite is usually white to grey. Quartzite often occurs in various shades of pink and red due to varying amounts of iron oxide or in other colour, due to other impurities or minor amounts of other minerals.

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Onyx is a semi-precious form of chalcedony which showcases alternating bands of hues in brown, red, white and black. Chalcedony is the group name for a large family of stones, all of which are formed from silicon dioxide, also known as quartz. Chalcedony stones look milky in tones and can range from translucent to transparent, often with layers or bands of colours. The colour of onyx, as with other forms of chalcedony, is created through impurities which seep into the rock as it forms. Onyx creates a timeless touch to surfaces.

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