One of the most expensive types of marble and how it’s mined – Acemar Stone’s Calacatta marble from the Apuan Mountains in Massa-Carrara, Italy
Over 650 quarries extract marble from the Carrara and Massa Mountains, but one in particular produces a highly rare variety of marble. Calacatta is distinguished by its ivory colour and dense gold or grey veins. A square foot can cost more than $400, which is more than four times the price of high-end Carrara marble extracted from the same mountain. Its high price stems from its scarcity, as it can only be found in the Apuan Mountains.
The miners drill holes in the marble and feed wet diamond braid strands through them. These ropes saw the marble into slabs, which are then carefully placed onto a truck for delivery. The miners must have a skilled and precise eye to work around weaknesses in the mountain’s geology. These defects have an impact on where and how much miners can extract, as well as how much they can sell.
The marble blocks are further cut at the processing plant in order to shape and polish them. After pre-smoothing and sanding the slabs, any holes or cracks are filled in with a resin coating. The slab is polished and honed after being exposed to UV light, making it ready to be shipped to customers. Processors need to exercise extra caution because a single error can significantly affect both final pricing and quality.
