Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Marble shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Marble offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Marble at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Marble? Wrong! If the Marble is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Marble then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Marble? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Marble and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Marble wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Marble then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Marble site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Marble, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Marble, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
For the ball used in the child's game, see marbles.
, front.
Marble is a nonfoliated
metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of
calcite (a crystalline form of
calcium carbonate,
calciumcarbonoxygen3). It is extensively used for
sculpture, as a architecture material, and in many other applications. The word "marble" is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.
Faux marble or
faux finishing is a wall painting technique that imitates the color patterns of real marble (not to be confused with paper marbling). Marble dust can be combined with cement or synthetic resins to make
reconstituted or
cultured marble.
Places named after the stone include Marble Arch,
London; the Sea of Marmara;
India's
Marble Rocks; and the towns of Marble, Minnesota;
Marble, Colorado; and Marble Hill, Manhattan, New York. The
Elgin Marbles are marble sculptures from the Parthenon that are on display in the British Museum. They were brought to
United Kingdom by the
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin.
Origins
Marble is a metamorphic rock resulting from regional or rarely contact
metamorphism of
sedimentary rock carbonate rocks, either limestone or
dolostone, or metamorphism of older marble. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of calcite, aragonite and/or
dolomite crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any
fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock.
Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestones. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as clay, silt,
sand,
iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Green coloration is often due to
serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the
metamorphism.
Kinds of marble
or even trees (
:Image:Landscape marble treeline.jpg).
Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their
quarry, include
White marbles, like Carrara in Italy, Royal White and Beijing White in China, have been prized for marble sculpture since classical times. This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic "waxy" look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of the human body.
Construction marble
In the construction, specifically the dimension stone trade, the term "marble" is used for any massive, crystalline calcitic rock (and some non-calcitic rocks) useful as building stone. For example, "
Tennessee marble" is really a massive, highly fossiliferous gray to pink to maroon Ordovician
dolostone that geology call the
Holston Formation.
Industrial use of marble
Colorless or light-colored marbles are a very pure source of
calcium carbonate, which is used in a wide variety of industries. Finely ground marble or calcium carbonate powder is a component in
paper, and in consumer products such as
toothpaste,
plastics, and
paints. Ground calcium carbonate can be made from limestone, chalk, and marble; about three-quarters of the ground calcium carbonate worldwide is made from marble. Ground calcium carbonate is used as a coating pigment for paper because of its high brightness and as a paper filler because it strengthens the sheet and imparts high brightness. Ground calcium carbonate is used in consumer products such as a food additive, in toothpaste, and as an inert filler in pills. It is used in plastics because it imparts stiffness, impact strength, dimensional stability, and thermal conductivity. It is used in paints because it is a good filler and extender, has high brightness, and is weather resistant. However, the growth in demand for ground calcium carbonate in the last decade has mostly been for a coating pigment in paper.
Calcium carbonate can also be reduced under high heat to
calcium oxide (also known as "lime"), which has many applications including being a primary component of most
cement.
Production
According to the United States Geological Survey, U.S. dimension marble production in 2005 was 207,000 tonnes valued at $18.9 million. Crushed marble production (for aggregate and industrial uses) was 7.76 million tonnes valued at $58.7 million, of which 4.8 million tonnes was finely ground
calcium carbonate and the rest was
construction aggregate. U.S. dimension marble demand is about 1.3 million tonnes. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 10.5% annually for the 2000–2005 period. The largest dimension marble application is tile. The U.S. makes very little marble tile. Most marble tile is made in mammoth, completely automated plants that operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week in places such as Italy (for example, in Viareggio) and China.
Etymology
The word "marble" derives from the Greek language
marmaros, "shining stone" (
Oxford English Dictionary). This stem is also the basis for the English word "marmoreal" meaning "marble-like".
Cultural associations
As the favorite medium for
Greece and
Roman Empire sculptors and architects (see
classical sculpture), marble has become a cultural
symbol of tradition and refined taste. Its extremely varied and colorful patterns make it a favorite decorative material, and it is often imitated in background patterns for computer displays, etc.
In folklore, marble is associated with the astrological sign of
Gemini (astrology). Pure white marble is an emblem of purity. It is also an emblem of immortality, and an insurer of success in education.
See also
External links
- Tips for cleaning marble
- Learning to carve by Marc Levoy.
- Marmo Quarry in the Massa-Carrara region, Italy
- USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Dimension
- USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Crushed
- Dimension Stone Advocate News (DSAN)
- London builders: Marble is a glittering stone.
For the ball used in the child's game, see marbles.
, front.
Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the
metamorphism of
limestone, composed mostly of calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate,
calciumcarbonoxygen3). It is extensively used for sculpture, as a
architecture material, and in many other applications. The word "marble" is colloquially used to refer to many other stones that are capable of taking a high polish.
Faux marble or
faux finishing is a wall painting technique that imitates the color patterns of real marble (not to be confused with paper marbling). Marble dust can be combined with cement or synthetic resins to make
reconstituted or
cultured marble.
Places named after the stone include Marble Arch, London; the
Sea of Marmara;
India's Marble Rocks; and the towns of
Marble, Minnesota;
Marble, Colorado; and
Marble Hill, Manhattan, New York. The
Elgin Marbles are marble sculptures from the Parthenon that are on display in the British Museum. They were brought to United Kingdom by the
Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin.
Origins
Marble is a
metamorphic rock resulting from regional or rarely contact
metamorphism of
sedimentary rock carbonate rocks, either
limestone or
dolostone, or metamorphism of older marble. This metamorphic process causes a complete recrystallization of the original rock into an interlocking mosaic of
calcite,
aragonite and/or dolomite
crystals. The temperatures and pressures necessary to form marble usually destroy any fossils and sedimentary textures present in the original rock.
Pure white marble is the result of metamorphism of very pure limestones. The characteristic swirls and veins of many colored marble varieties are usually due to various mineral impurities such as
clay, silt, sand, iron oxides, or chert which were originally present as grains or layers in the limestone. Green coloration is often due to
serpentine resulting from originally high magnesium limestone or dolostone with silica impurities. These various impurities have been mobilized and recrystallized by the intense pressure and heat of the
metamorphism.
Kinds of marble
or even trees (
:Image:Landscape marble treeline.jpg).
Some historically important kinds of marble, named after the locations of their
quarry, include
White marbles, like Carrara in Italy, Royal White and Beijing White in China, have been prized for
marble sculpture since classical times. This preference has to do with the softness and relative isotropy and homogeneity, and a relative resistance to shattering. Also, the low index of refraction of
calcite allows light to penetrate several millimeters into the stone before being scattered out, resulting in the characteristic "waxy" look which gives "life" to marble sculptures of the human body.
Construction marble
In the construction, specifically the
dimension stone trade, the term "marble" is used for any massive, crystalline calcitic rock (and some non-calcitic rocks) useful as building stone. For example, "
Tennessee marble" is really a massive, highly fossiliferous gray to pink to maroon
Ordovician dolostone that
geology call the
Holston Formation.
Industrial use of marble
Colorless or light-colored marbles are a very pure source of calcium carbonate, which is used in a wide variety of industries. Finely ground marble or calcium carbonate powder is a component in paper, and in consumer products such as
toothpaste,
plastics, and
paints. Ground calcium carbonate can be made from limestone, chalk, and marble; about three-quarters of the ground calcium carbonate worldwide is made from marble. Ground calcium carbonate is used as a coating pigment for paper because of its high brightness and as a paper filler because it strengthens the sheet and imparts high brightness. Ground calcium carbonate is used in consumer products such as a food additive, in toothpaste, and as an inert filler in pills. It is used in plastics because it imparts stiffness, impact strength, dimensional stability, and thermal conductivity. It is used in paints because it is a good filler and extender, has high brightness, and is weather resistant. However, the growth in demand for ground calcium carbonate in the last decade has mostly been for a coating pigment in paper.
Calcium carbonate can also be reduced under high heat to
calcium oxide (also known as "lime"), which has many applications including being a primary component of most cement.
Production
According to the
United States Geological Survey, U.S. dimension marble production in 2005 was 207,000 tonnes valued at $18.9 million. Crushed marble production (for aggregate and industrial uses) was 7.76 million tonnes valued at $58.7 million, of which 4.8 million tonnes was finely ground
calcium carbonate and the rest was construction aggregate. U.S. dimension marble demand is about 1.3 million tonnes. The DSAN World Demand for (finished) Marble Index has shown a growth of 10.5% annually for the 2000–2005 period. The largest dimension marble application is tile. The U.S. makes very little marble tile. Most marble tile is made in mammoth, completely automated plants that operate 24 hours per day, seven days per week in places such as Italy (for example, in Viareggio) and China.
Etymology
The word "marble" derives from the
Greek language marmaros, "shining stone" (
Oxford English Dictionary). This stem is also the basis for the English word "marmoreal" meaning "marble-like".
Cultural associations
As the favorite medium for Greece and Roman Empire sculptors and architects (see classical sculpture), marble has become a cultural
symbol of tradition and refined taste. Its extremely varied and colorful patterns make it a favorite decorative material, and it is often imitated in background patterns for computer displays, etc.
In folklore, marble is associated with the astrological sign of
Gemini (astrology). Pure white marble is an emblem of purity. It is also an emblem of immortality, and an insurer of success in education.
See also
External links
- Tips for cleaning marble
- Learning to carve by Marc Levoy.
- Marmo Quarry in the Massa-Carrara region, Italy
- USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Dimension
- USGS Minerals Yearbook: Stone, Crushed
- Dimension Stone Advocate News (DSAN)
- London builders: Marble is a glittering stone.
Welcome to marbles.com
Credit card offered by HFC Bank with special internet safety guarantee. Online application facility.
marbles
general terms marbles credit card is issued by HFC Bank Limited and is only available to persons aged 21 or over, who are resident in the U.K. and who are not already (or have not ...
House of Marbles
Makers and purveyors of glassware, traditional games, toys and craftware. Offers details of restaurant and history of the building.
Home Page | Marble Recruitment
Home Page ... Hello, and welcome to our Marbleous website! Here you can discover more information about jobs that are available right now in South Wales, and also how to apply for ...
marbles from FOLDOC
marbles < jargon > (From the mainstream "lost his marbles") The minimum needed to build your way further up some hierarchy of tools or abstractions.
Orange marbles
Orange marbles: For a low APR apply for an Orange marbles card, Apply online for a sixty second decision
Marble - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marble is a nonfoliated metamorphic rock resulting from the metamorphism of limestone, composed mostly of calcite (a crystalline form of calcium carbonate, Ca C O 3).
FM Marble - Homepage
Work surfaces, bath surrounds and shower trays. Profile and portfolio.
Marble By Design - beautiful stained, aged effect bonded marble ...
Bonded marble stained - aged effect sculptures ... Created by Simon Coupland We have created a unique collection of bonded marble ornaments to enhance all manor of settings, be ...
Marble City - Home
We have more than 40 years experience in the import, manufacture and fitting of marble, granite, limestone and slate for both the commercial and private sectors.
