Ho Ho Ho! We are in the Holiday Spirit and we’ve decided to celebrate by highlighting some of our favorite red and green natural stones! Ok, I know we all love Carrara and Calacatta White Marble, but let’s get colorful with our stones this season.
Rosso Verona and Rojo Alicante Marble
I actually see red marble quite a bit in restrooms: floors, countertops and showers; it really gives such a beautiful pop of color!
In Houston, we have restored the store front of Almaza Jewelers and between the beautiful Rosso Verona exterior and the glistening diamonds displayed in the window- how could you not go in that store to find that perfect holiday gift!
Marble is a calcareous stone which means it reacts (etches) when it comes in contact with acid, ammonia and alcohol. You can tell you have a marble because it typically has veins that run through it. Marble can have a honed (flat) finish or it can be naturally polished into a high polish shine. When red marble is polished, its natural red colors become more vibrant. Oh! By the way, International Stoneworks would be happy to come out and polish your marble surface.
Serpentine
Serpentine is a green stone traditionally grouped in with commercial marbles; however, Serpentine is not truly a marble. The Marble Institute of America defines it as a metamorphic limestone calcium carbonate and dolomite. It is quite a durable stone and the various green colors reflect the diversity of the mineral content. Serpentine can have a honed finish, but I love when it has a natural polished finish because the green color becomes even more brilliant.
Red Onyx
Onyx stone surfaces are a calcareous stone, also known as Marble Onyx (according to the Marble Institute of America). Onyx is not marble, but it reacts very similarly and we can restore it.
Onyx is a very cool material because it is translucent and usually comes in a variety of colors such as red! It also can be honey-colored and green. It can be honed or polished to a high gloss. It’s not just these qualities that make onyx so beautiful; onyx has these gorgeous waves and circle patterns that give it such a unique look.
Emerald Pearl Granite
We all love our granite kitchen countertops – not only because of their beauty, but also because of their durability.
Granite is a siliceous stone, meaning that it contains silica (unlike calcareous stones such as marble and onyx that are composed of calcium carbonate and react to acid). Granite tends to have various minerals, which you can identify by the “speckles” you see in the stone. Granite is popular on kitchen countertops because it is fairly resistant to acids and alcohol.
All of these colors are so amazing because they occur naturally; they are created by Mother Nature herself! This is the beauty of natural stone.
While you are out and about doing your holiday shopping, take the time to notice the beautiful colorful stone surfaces that surround you. These red and green stones will undoubtedly lift your holiday spirit!
