Page 15 - May Slippery Rock Gazette
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Slippery rock Gazette
Green Stones
Continued from page 14
It’s a member of the mica fam- ily, and it’s made of small flakes that are weakly bonded together. Thus, the mineral feels soapy be- cause the tiny flakes slip and slide against each other when rubbed.
The greater the talc content, the softer the stone. Talc makes up 80 percent of soapstones used for carving, but the soapstone that’s used for countertops, fireplaces, tiles, and sinks contains only 30 to 50 percent talc. Soapstone owes its green color to the mineral chlo- rite, a deep green member of the mica family. Magnesite, amphi- bole, and other minerals round out the ingredient list. The hard- est soapstones top out around 3 - 4 on Mohs hardness scale, which is similar to the hardness of marble. If it’s harder than that, it’s likely serpentine.
There’s good reason serpen- tine and soapstone are sometimes confused with each other. Not only do they look alike, they are closely related. Like serpentine, soapstone starts out as iron-rich magma deep underneath the ocean crust. Chemical reactions with hot seawater turn the stone to serpen- tine. If the stone undergoes further reactions with CO2-rich fluids, it changes to soapstone. These processes vary across small dis- tances, and the chemistry behind it is a little crazy, so one can find a jumble of different rock types within a small area.
Green soapstones include Santa Rita and Majestic Green. Many distributors simply call it “green soapstone” rather than a specific name. Even if you don’t choose soapstone for your next project, be sure to stop and pet it next time you visit the slab yard. Its soft touch is irresistible!
Green Granite
If you pine for a green stone, but don’t want uncertainties in terms of hardness or durability, then green granite is your answer. While commercial granite is typi- cally grey, ivory, brown, or black, it can sometimes be green too. There’s no single geologic expla- nation for green granites; they all have a different story behind their color.
Some green granites owe their coloration to less-common
Victoria Regia Granite
Photo Courtesy MSI
May 2020|15 Kitchen Tiles & Countertops
“Made in Margraf” are Delights in Marble
     T
time. It’s a place where people meet and share: a household “workshop” for the creation of culinary specialties. Its perfect balance of functionality, tech- nology and visual appeal can be given a unique twist by peerlessly exclusive finishes and materials, such as Margraf marble and natural stone.
 minerals, like Costa Esmeralda. Costa Esmeralda is a vibrant com- bination of apple-green epidote, along with the usual quartz and feldspar.
In other cases, green granite is caused by an uncommon color of a common mineral. Feldspars are the primary ingredients in granite and occasionally they can be green. For example, Peacock Green features a green feld- spar called microcline, which is also known as the gemstone Amazonite.
Emerald Pearl (also called Labrador Emerald) is another granite that contains green feld- spar. This stone is deep, dark green – almost black – with shim- mering undertones that lend depth to a polished surface.
Labradorite (also called Green Eyes) is shiny, bright green thanks to an iridescent variation of feldspar called labradorite.
Verde Tortuga and Victoria
Regia are spectacular examples of ocean-floor lava flows. These stones are made of basalt, which turned slightly green through ser- pentinization (Heh, I got to sneak in that term, after all!). The hall- mark of these stones is the circu- lar or hexagonal pattern that takes shape as the lava cools.
Other green granites include Verde Butterfly, Ubatuba, Typhoon Green, Lapland Green, and Green Galaxy.
Is this still not enough green for you? You can also find green in quartzite (Sea Pearl), sandstone (Wild Sea), or slate (Unfading Green).
It might take a little extra sleuth- ing to find just the right green stone for your tastes, but the jour- ney is worthwhile. If you’re keen for green, then no other color will do.
Karin Kirk is a geologist and science educator with over 20 years of experience and brings a different perspective to the stone industry. Karin is a regular con- tributor to usenaturalstone.com and the Slippery Rock Gazette. Contact her at karinkirk@ gmail.com .
Emerald Pearl Granite from Norway
Labrador Verde or Emerald
Verde Butterfly Granite
Photo Courtesy MSI
Marble is the quintessential natural material. No two pieces are the same and its value in- creases over time. Extremely hygienic and easy to clean, it can be used for numerous pur- poses, ranging from worktops and sinks to wall and floor tiles. These qualities mean that mar- ble is increasingly popular with architects all over the world, who use it in prestigious resi- dential complexes, villas and private homes.
With its unique veins and shades of colour, Margraf mar- ble is extremely distinctive. Its exceptional beauty can enhance any location and add an individ- ually tailored touch for the most refined and exacting clients, among whom superior Italian materials are in ever greater demand.
Margraf can cater to all needs with its wide range of materials for classic and contemporary kitchens.
Thanks to the technology be- hind its cutting-edge quarrying and processing machinery and systems, Margraf can supply
he kitchen is one of the rooms in a home where people spend the most
    a broad selection of marble types, colors, thicknesses and finishes.
Margraf’s story (former Industria Marmi Vicentini) started in Chiampo (province of Vicenza) in 1906. Today, after more than a century, Margraf owes its world- wide ,established reputation to its skillful extraction of marble and the ability to transform it into fin- ished, polished slabs or tiny tiles, and to provide a huge array of precious materials and excellent products for building construction and architecture, from of inner and external walls cladding, to in- terior design items, to bathroom and kitchen decoration. For more information, visit www.margraf.it and www.facebook.com/margraf. industriamarmivicentini .
            Kitchen worktop, flooring and wall in polished Monaco Lucido.
 Polished, inlaid kitchen worktop and wall: Nero Marquinia, Bianco Carrara Polished, inlaid flooring: Nero Marquinia, Bianco Carrara, Bardiglio Imperiale, and Striato Olimpico.




























































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