The most precious and expensive marbles, granites and natural stones in the world

Natural stone is a sublime material. When it transpires in its most precious forms it becomes a true icon of excellence and exclusive luxury. Allowing yourself a journey through the most precious marbles, granites and natural stones in the world means being enchanted by unexpected colors, games of light and shadows, veins that seem to be constantly moving and interweave, come together, move on the surface like waves of water.

Carrara Statuario

The White Statuario marble of Carrara is one of the most precious marbles in the world. Few materials, in fact, can compete with its transparent sheen and its incredibly compact structure. Among the main types of this material is the White Statuario Veneto Marble, which has veins in shades of grey of various sizes, and the White Statuario Extra Marble on which the veins are extremely thin and not very visible. Both these qualities are very valuable, even if the second one is truly a unique example of aesthetic perfection and grandeur. Many Italian artists from all times have created real masterpieces with the Statuary: think for example of the “Grazie” and to “Amore e Psiche” by Canova without forgetting Michelangelo’s David, entirely carved in a single block. Today, this material is used to express luxury and magnificence especially for roofing and furnishing elements such as fireplaces, sculptures, and special design creations.

The Calacatta Carrara marble

Calacatta is one of the most precious and appreciated Italian marbles, above all for prestigious projects and extremely refined furnishing elements. Extracted from the Carrara quarries, this marble has been used since the Renaissance in the most exclusive projects for its delicate magnificence and for the ability to transmit with extreme elegance the most refined aesthetic luxury. The base of the Calacatta marble is crystalline white. Depending on the color of the veins, however, we can have various types: the Calacatta Caldia is superb in shades of mint green without forgetting the Calacatta Crema in shades of light beige tending to ivory. Unique, sought-after, and splendid in its enigmatic transparencies and in the brilliance of its surface is then the Calacatta Oro that gives the elegant veins in yellow-gold that literally ‘shine’ on the white surface of the base.

The Sicilian Diaspora is mined from the quarries of the mountains of Custonaci, in the province of Trapani. Its color is unpredictable and alternates various colors ranging from dark red to ocher yellow, with rare white intrusions. The softness of the colors gives a wonderful feeling of warmth and comfort and that is why the Diaspora is mainly used for luxury upholstery and interior decorations. Among the most expensive stones in the world, Diaspora has always been sought after by Princes and rulers who wanted it for their churches, palaces, and mausoleums. It was used in the splendid works of art of the “Opificio Delle Pietre Dure” of Florence, a place founded by Ferdinando I de Medici in 1588 as artistic manufacture for the production of hard stone furniture, second to none for fitness of workmanship and creativity in the use of precious materials.

Brèche du Bénou, pride of France

French marble with important design, the Brèche du Benou has a multicolored gravelly structure in shades of intense yellow and green, up to pink. This is a very precious marble and has always been used for important achievements such as the decorations of the palace of Versailles (especially for the splendid fireplaces) and the interiors of famous historic buildings throughout Europe. Its dynamic polychrome is a true piece of furniture and is transposed with fascination in both traditional and modern settings.

The White Thasos Extra marble of Greece

Bianco Thasos

The White Thasos Extra marble is a particularly precious material that comes from Greece. Its value is to have a very fine grain, which gives it a particular crystalline touch, and an absolute white background that has neither veins nor intrusions. The slabs are usually small and carefully selected according to their more candid color. Given the intrinsical beauty of the material, the most suitable processing is the polishing that makes it incredibly bright and suitable for enhancing any type of construction. Usually, White Thassos Extra marble is used for interiors, decorative objects, and luxury coverings. Its superb whiteness is often enhanced by the combination with other darker marbles such as the Black of Belgium, the Portoro or the Botticino marble.

Absolute chromaticism: the Belgian Black marble

Belgian black

Elegance: This is the most correct and exhaustive definition to describe this marvelous marble that comes from Belgium and that offers an intense black background on which a slight bright white dotting stands out. This detail gives the material an original and unconventional appearance, making it perfect in any declination dedicated to interior design – such as stairs, floors, and countertops – and for the preparation of outdoors. As for the finishes, the polishing is the most recommended treatment since it is particularly suitable to emphasize the aesthetic qualities of this most exclusive natural stone of its kind.

From Italy, Portoro marble or marble of Portovenere

Babylonia

A very precious marble, starting from the few quarries in the province of La Spezia that extract it and then continue with the difficulties related to the protection of the local landscape that requires a particularly complicated extraction. The Black Italian Portoro is a beautiful marble, characterized by an intense and brilliant black with golden veins alternating with whitish areas of variable dimensions. In its palette, there are eight variations ranging from yellow veins for its ‘large stain’ to those ‘fine stain’ up to the Black and White of La Spezia where the white spot is predominant on the grey-black background. Cosimo I de Medici had a great passion for Black Portoro. In the 16th century’s Florence, some of the greatest works of art of the Italian Renaissance were made from this natural stone.

Emotions in natural stone: the Amazonite granite

Amazonite granite

Looking at a slab of Amazonite, very precious granite from Brazil, it seems like you are in front of a contemporary work of art: it’s incredibly moving structure, in fact, creates unexpected suggestions that come to life through the thousand tones of emerald and blue. The Amazonite has the power to enchant those who stop to observe it and its value reinforces the magic. In luxury interior design, this material is mainly used as a coating with an open-book stain finish in small spaces, niches in showers, in particular, to reinforce the en plan air effect. Not being resistant to frost, the Amazonite is unlikely to be used for outdoor installations.

The colors of the sea reproduced by the Blue Sodalite

An extremely rare and precious stone: the blue Sodalite is an intense material that amazes with its variegated colors that range from sky blue to cobalt to reach the shimmering shades of lapis lazuli. Beautiful and very precious are also its blocks of uniform color, devoid of stains or veins, which give a disruptive perfection as magically wrapped in an incredible depth of color. This natural stone has established itself in the design of luxury environments where it has been chosen for interior cladding and highly decorative elements such as fireplaces, niches, and columns. Thanks to its particularly relaxing color, the Blue Sodalite is also very sought after for the creation of wet areas such as baths, spas, and swimming pools.

Add by expert and export team of Bhandari Marble World