Kinds Of Marbles

Learn about kinds of marbles. Marbles are metamorphic rocks that are non-foliated. They are composed from the recrystallization of well known minerals (carbonate). Usually the minerals are dolomite or calcite. The word ‘Marble’ is used to refer to that limestone which is metamorphosed by the Geologists. There are several kinds of marbles which are usually used in making sculptures and in building materials. These kinds of marbles usually vary in their nature, colors, textures, price and quality by place to place. For instance, the marbles from Italy are of different patterns from the marbles of United States and Ireland. And that is the reason that generally marbles are named after the places from where they are collected. Some of the examples of such marbles are:

Indian Makrana marble which is named after the Makrana town of India in the state of Rajasthan, district Nagaur. This marble was used in Taj Mahal’s construction.

Botticino Marble which is named after the Botticino town of Lombardy Italy, province of Brescia
Macael Marble which is named after the Macael community of Spain

Some more kinds of marbles are discussed below in this article.

Carrara Marble:
These kinds of marbles are commonly used in making sculptures and in furnishing buildings. They generally come in gray-blue or white color and are mostly collected from Carrara city of Italy.

Connemara Marble:
These kinds of marbles are commonly used in interior decorations. They generally come in green color (dark and dull). This marble is sometimes marketed as ‘ophite’ or ‘ophicalcite’. It is mostly collected from Connemara, a district located in the west side of Ireland.

Creole Marble:
These kinds of marbles have patterns of clouds or veins of dark blue or black color, while their background usually displays gray or white color. They have further classifications of Light, Medium and Dark Creole based on their colors and tones. Most of the monuments in the U.S are made up of Creole marble. They are mostly collected from the Georgia, Pickens County, United States.

Etowah Marble:
These kinds of marbles have characteristics of rose, pink or salmon color. They are mostly collected from Georgia, Tate, United States. The ‘Tate House’ of Georgia is made up of Etowah marble.

Parian Marble:
These kinds of marbles generally come in pure white color. They were firstly collected in classical era on Paros, the Greek island in the Aegean Sea. In history, the ancient Greeks charge a lot for these marbles for building sculptures. The Napoleon’s tomb is made up of Parian Marble.

Purbeck Marble:
These kinds of marbles are generally collected from Isle of Purbeck, England. They have characteristics of Gray or Brown color. However, Purbeck marble cannot be said as a true metamorphic rock, but since it can take excellent polish that’s why it is considered to be marble.

Swedish Green Marble:
As its name states, these kinds of marbles are collected from the north-eastern side of the province of Ostergotland, Sweden. They are also called Swedish Green. These marbles have characteristics of attractive veins, variable greenish color and are fine grained. Matchstick Palace of Stockholm is made up of Swedish Green marble. Most of the monuments of Sweden are also made up of this marble.