![]() Carrara is quarried in abundance, and the luxurious Calacatta stone is similarly quarried, more specifically in the Apuan mountains of Italy, and has a lot more variation in colour than the Carrara. But the most prestigious famous white marble comes from Carrara, Italy. Marble is one of the most admired materials for art and architecture, and the four countries where it is most prevalent are Italy, Spain, India and China. And get this - such iconic projects as the entrance to Louvre Museum, interiors of ships such as Queen Mary II and the yacht of Russian magnate Roman Abramovich all used Portuguese marble. Portuguese Estremoz marble is renowned in the world for its physical and aesthetic qualities and is considered one of the best on the planet. This anticline presents in an elliptical shape (45×8 kilometres) stretching from the village of Cano in the northeast to the Alandroal Municipality in the southeast. They form from layers of rock that were originally horizontal and relatively flat, and earth movements have created a type of fold that is arch- shaped. Briefly, (and without wishing to bore you!) anticlines are folded rock formations that have an upwards convex shape. There are a surprising number of mines, but the greatest source of Portuguese marble is a world-famous geological area called the Estremoz Anticline, located in the Alentejo region. It gives the appearance of huge containers stacked one on top of another with the machinery being dwarfed at the bottom.īut did you know that marble extraction in Portugal has a long history? Marble quarries are astonishingly huge and really deep, and the marble is cut in ‘blocks’ from a vertical wall, the blocks usually weighing between 15,000 and 25,000 pounds, and is cut with diamond cables, drills and torches. ![]() It’s also heavy which makes it an ideal building material that can withstand the harshest conditions and still look as good as new. That means that it’s tough and hard to destroy. It is composed primarily of the mineral calcite, and usually contains other minerals, such as micas, quartz, pyrite, iron oxides, clay minerals and graphite. Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to heat and pressure. Marble is the perfect material to repel water - with the proper sealant, water will bead right up and wipe clean, leaving no lasting marks that might otherwise stain - it’s great for preventing water damage, as any water will roll right off. Bugs, insects, and other creepy crawlies can’t burrow their way into a marble window sill to cause it to disintegrate for example, nor does it need repainting every few years after the relentless summer sunshine does its damage. We probably take it for granted because it’s always been there, we walk over it every day or wipe it down in the kitchen and never give it a second thought. It's symptomatic of a changing of the guard in the market, I think there's a re-evaluation going on, people have given up on this year, now they're looking at what they're going to do for next year, are things in fact going to get better and if so, at what stage do you step in and put a few marbles on some bets.In many Portuguese homes, marble features in some form or another, whether it be on the floor inside, or outside in the garden, the steps to your apartment, kitchen surfaces, bathrooms or window sills. ![]() I've heard from a lot of former colleagues representing other countries that are major contributors to WHO, and other institutions that contribute financially, that either (the WHO) has to get fixed in a relatively short period – five to 10 years – or they're going to take their marbles and go elsewhere. Let the British Museum come here and make the comparison between this (Acropolis) museum of light and the murky, if I may say, prison of the British Museum where the Parthenon Marbles are held as trophies. The last, until now, British doctrine that the Parthenon Marbles could not be moved is no longer valid - as their other 'argument' for the lack of an appropriate space to house them collapsed with the opening of the Museum of Acropolis. People have given up on this year, now they're looking at what they're going to do for next year, are things in fact going to get better and if so, at what stage do you step in and put a few marbles on some bets. ![]()
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