1" HONED MOSAIC	MARBLE COLLECTION	3x6" SUBWAY TILE

History of Carrara
Carrara marble quarries have been used for more than 2000 years. Carrara marble is very famous for the statuary quality, used by all the most famous sculptures in the world (Michelangelo, Canova, etc.). The first peak of extractive activity was in the roman period, during the imperial age the demand for Carrara marble rose since it became the most requested building stone for public buildings.

Since then Carrara was a synonymous of marble and its marble was requested worldwide for buildings, statues, objects, etc. Till now, about one million tons of Carrara marble is quarried each year.

Geology
From the geological point of view the area belongs to the autochthonous part of the tuscanian Apennines. The Apuane area is a "tectonic window", in which the alloctonous ligurid terrains are not present and the original basement of the area outcrops. 

In particular the apian marble formation is lowermost Jurassic in age and is composed of limestone having a typical saccaroidal texture due to metamorphic recrystallisation. The color is usually white but may contain variable gray banding in places.

The most pure limestones are fully recristallised are very famous as "statuary" marble. Most of the monuments and the masterpieces of the world art are sculptured in this marble. Two tectonic phases are recognizable in the Apuane area the last one consisted in a low grade metamorphic folding, in which the cavities and fissures where there are the main crystallizations of the carrera marble formed.

Traditions in Stone

Today our products are used in both exterior and interior design applications, including kitchen backsplashes, bathrooms, fireplace surrounds and feature walls. Our products are also ideal for pools, fountains and spas. Traditions in Stone are dedicated to providing our customers with the best products for the greatest value. We offer several lines of tiles, each with a distinctive look and feel to maximize design possibilities.

The Carrara Statuary collection from Traditions in stone is the defining flagship collection.  It is a unique and full collection of classic style and elegance with five mosaics, trim and field tile.   The smart black and white honed statuary marble effect mosaics can be used in a traditional scheme or given a modern twist depending on the strips and accessories that you use. The Traditions Collection offers a large selection of field tile sizes: 3x6", 6x6", 6x12" & 12x12" and matching accessories.

In 1501, a 26-year-old Michelangelo inherited a block of marble that several other artists had worked without much success. A few years later, he completed his David. Originally intended for installation atop a building, the statue was soon judged too beautiful to put so far above admiring eyes. The marble block that Michelangelo worked came from the marble quarry of Carrara. Roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Florence, the hotspot of Renaissance artistic achievement, Carrara lies along Italy’s northwestern shore. With the possible exception of marble from his own quarry in Pietrasanta, Michelangelo most favored Carrara marble. He was not alone in his admiration. Leonardo da Vinci invented a marble-cutting machine for the quarry, and Carrara marble is said to adorn the Pantheon and Trajan’s Column in Rome.

On August 1, 2001, NASA’s Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus sensor acquired this natural-color image of Carrara and the surrounding region. Straight lines and sharp angles distinguish urban areas from the wilder landscape of the mountains to the east, both sporting their share of marble. What might look like snow cover on the rugged mountains is actually bright white marble, contrasting with Tuscany’s lush green vegetation in this summertime shot.

The Carrara quarries have been prized since the days of the Roman Empire, but the geologic processes that developed these rocks dwarf human timescales. Marble’s origins actually lie in marine organisms that leave behind their calcite-rich shells when they die. As water bodies evaporate, these deposited remains form limestone. If the limestone gets buried under multi-ton layers of rock, the intense pressure and heat cause it to metamorphose into marble. Not all marbles turn out the same. Marble formed from the purest limestone is the white marble characteristic of Carrara. Impurities such as clay or iron oxide give other marbles darker colors.