The minerals found in granite are quartz, feldspars, mica and hornblende. Quartz is main component to crystallize so that it fills in extra space between other minerals. Its deficiency in chemical reactivity and cleavage with hardness gives attractive durable properties. K-feldspars present in granites give its color variations.

Depending on the geographic places of granite quarries, colors of granites vary and they look amazing. The granite colors do not fade away and the surface remains polished forever.

Granites come in variety of colors. Specific shades of granite depends from the country they are mined. Some of them are as follows:

Beige

Beige is one of the most admired granite colors, and it is generally used in bathrooms and kitchens. Quarries that produce this color with well known shades are Golden Flaring and Darkas Beige, Crema Marfil from Spain, Century Beige from Europe and Shell Beige and Egypt Creme from Egypt.

Metallic Colors

Granite colors include metallic gold and copper. These shades also feature secondary black, grey and white colors. The quarries mining these colors are South America and Brazil.

Green

Norway quarries green granite with secondary colors that include blue and aqua shadings. They are generally termed as Emerald Pearl.

Blue

These are mined from Brazil and Coastal Africa and features greys, whites, blues and blacks as secondary colors. The rarest and most required after blue granites are Azul Blue Granites.

Red/Brown

These are popular and available in China which is mined from Brazil. The secondary colors include red to brown and burgundy.

Gray & Black

Gray and black are widely used colors in granite. Gray granites are mined from Georgia and they shade from bare gray, Moonlight gray and Sierra white. Black Granites are mined from Sweden, India, Australia and South Africa. The secondary colors for black are blue, white, gray and, even green.

Uba Tuba Granite

Uba Tuba granite is igneous rock shipped around the world. Due to its quartz and mica composition, it is hardest and dense stones used mainly in kitchen countertops. It is durable; resists wear and endure with heat and water. Their colors range from black to green with gold and brown lines on it. The color varies from the quarries it has mined from and also lighting. Benefits using Uba Tuba Granite are as follows:
•    It has unique appearance when used and are not subjected to scratch or stain.
•    Maintenance and cleaning is easy
•    Water droplets readily blend with its surface making it look tidy
•    It is affordable combined with beauty and durability.
•    It’s highly well-suited with glass and wood furnishings.

Black Galaxy Granite:

It has black background with golden dots on it. These golden dotes are due to ferrous rich Enstatine (Bronzite).It has a remarkable appearance and it is used in the whole house to maintain uniformity. They are mainly found in Andhra Pradesh State in India. The black galaxy granite is classified into three times, namely the small speckled, medium speckled and large speckled.

The difference between marble and granite is as follows:

• Granite is hard stone formed by crystallized minerals under high temperature and pressure. Marble is considered to be sediment from plant matter, shells or even animal skeletons. After many years of resting under the earth’s crust, these super hot bodies start to rise and solidify as it cools to form hard stone called as Marble.

• Granite is considered to be Igneous and Marble is Metamorphic.

• Granite contains minerals like Quartz, mica and feldspar. After many years of pressure, results in hard, stain resistant and durable stone. Color of the granites depends on difference in the minerals .Marble, similar to granite also formed thousand years back. It is created from limestone. After much pressure and heat, the limestone texture begins to experience a transformation process called recrystallization.

• Minerals present in granite creating unique textures, patterns and colors. It is resistant to heat, scratches, stains and heat. They are long lasting and are considered very durable. As marbles are made of calcite, it is sensitive to tile cleaners and acidic foods like lemon, wine, vinegar, and tomatoes which make the finish of marble dull.

• There are two types of granite stones: Flamed and Honed granite. For flamed granite, a flame is applied on the surface causing melting of surface crystals. Honed granite is shiny and has reflective surfaced with soft matte appearance. Marble contains different kinds: Calcites, serpentines, Limestone, onyx, and travertine.

However, both the marble and granite are the most demanded stones to add beauty and elegance to the architectural design of your surroundings.

Marble is considered to be versatile stone known for its luxury, beauty and durability. Home decorators usually prefer marble for its elegance and artistic look. It is mainly preferred in kitchens due to its availability in many textures, colors and designs. It has also got many rough and tough features for which it is easy to maintain them.

The most usage of Marble in the house is Kitchen countertops. Your construction would not be completed unless you have marble kitchen which add value to your house. If the surface of the marble is sealed, then you can easily keep hot and cold items on its surface which would not damage unlike other countertops.

They are easily installed and with the large variety of marbles available in the market, the price of them has also reduced .The only thing we have to take care is to seal the Marble tiles to avoid stains as they very porous. As kitchens are most popular rooms in a house, it’s great to invest money in marble kitchen.

They have many advantages and some of them are as follows:

• Marble kitchens are soft, smooth, shine and bright which make kitchen look striking.
• It has wide variety of colors to choose from making it look class, style and true elegance.
• They are easy to maintain if they are taken proper care and good sealers are used time to time making it more durable.
• Though they are regarded as expensive, they are available all around the world making it affordable and cheaper.

They not only add a certain grace and elegance to your house but also make it efficient. Granite kitchen islands are widely used today not only because of their beautiful looks but also because of the benefits that they offer over usual counters. As granite is an igneous rock it can readily resist high temperatures. Temperatures as high as 2000K have no effect over granite.

Further it is also used in bathrooms and kitchens as it is extremely hygienic. Granite has a crystalline structure which leaves very little space for existence and growth of harmful microbes. Though granite might seem very sophisticated it is rather extremely durable and easy to maintain. It is generally resistant to most stains and can be easily cleaned with just a wet cloth hence increasing its utility as a countertop.

Granite kitchen islands also serve a very important purpose of increasing your workspace. More workspace means more working convenience in the kitchen and hence granite is an all time favorite. Granite also comes in a variety of colors and textures which allows a person to choose a style that reflects his own character. Hence the emotional value of granite is also very high.

The most usual granite colors are emerald, brown and white but the beauty about granite is the availability of a variety of textures and colors. Each place where granite is found yields a different type of granite having a unique texture and unique blend of colors.

You can choose the texture and color of your choice from a large variety. Each person has a different taste for colors and hence for people looking for something very unique and just according to their taste to decorate their houses, granite is just the perfect choice.

Certain granite colors are more suited for using in bathrooms and some are just perfect for tiling your floors and walls. For example emerald is most suited for making sinks and tiling walls of bathrooms whereas brown is generally used in kitchens. Therefore one must pay due attention to the color they choose.

Stones like quartz (sandstone), marble, granite and pumice are widely used today for various purposes. These stones are used for construction of houses, for the constructions of bridges, pavements, buildings and decorative showpieces as well. This varied use is a consequence of the fact that they are found in various forms.

These different forms have varying strengths, different textures, and different physical and chemical properties. They are also found in a variety of colors. Let us take a look at the various properties and uses of some of these stones.

Granite is a widely used stone due to its durability strength and beauty. It is very smooth and shiny and hence adds a grace to the things made out of it. It can be used to make kitchen worktops, other countertops and furniture as it is completely scratch resistant and also very easy to maintain.

It is also extremely hygienic due to a very compact crystalline structure. Such a structure does not allow bacteria to hide. It can be very quickly and easily cleaned by just water. It is also used to build kitchen counters due to its heat resisting character. This is property it has due to igneous origins.

Quartz or sandstone is generally used for making bricks. It is extremely hard but on the other hand its rough nature prevents its use in making furniture. But in recent times a new trend of using polished quartz stone for making luxury worktops has started. In fact some of these counters are costlier than the granite ones. It is also extremely easy to maintain and clean.

Marble is one of the cheapest of stones used for tiling, making decorative showpieces and sometimes also for making furniture and countertops. Though it is cheap it is no less in beauty than granite and sandstone. Its milky white color is loved by all and hence it is most commonly used stone for making showpieces. It is not widely used for making worktops due to lack of strength and durability.

Granite slabs look beautiful with their rugged looks and they can be used for the outdoor décor as well. These outdoor granite slabs are made from specialized form of epoxy resin and it is used for fabrication by many manufacturers. Granite slabs are the best choice for outdoor barbeque. These slabs are available in various shapes and sizes. They also add elegance and natural beauty to the living spaces. Granite stones are considered healthy for the base of kitchen countertops and for outside barbeques.

Fireplaces are integrated as design elements of the living space. Granite fireplaces add sophistication and elegance to the ambience. It is a perfect material for fireplaces because of its durability and its resistance to heat exposure. It is also used as tiles for countertops, garden furniture, bathroom tiles etc. Skilled craftsman can also redesign and enhance the feel of the fireplace by adding new designs and patterns. Granite is also resistant to abrasion, acid and alkali attacks. The mantles of granite fireplaces shine more when they are simple. Granite fireplaces are appreciated for its superior quality and classic styles. These can also be made from granite tiles paired with other materials. Granite is usually available in shades of black, gray and beige. However with the latest development in technology, granite is now available in shades of red, green and white.

Granite also makes a perfect material for bathroom vanity tops. Granite vanity tops are long lasting and durable, water resistant and easy to clean. Installing a vanity top adds strength in both performance and notable design feature of your bathroom. Granite vanity tops increases the aesthetic appeal and it also creates a rich and royal look to the bathroom. These vanity tops can be generally designed in terms of color, pattern, size and shapes. Installing granite vanity tops can transform the entire outlook of your home.

In Egypt, you get to see the world famous Pyramids which are all made of natural sand stones available in plenty in the country. In fact the historians believe that Egyptian civilization was the first to prepare stone architecture. Granites and lime stones are widely used in their structures. The “Great Pyramid of Cheops” was constructed in 2560 BC and is still alive with all its grace and beauty. Huge stone blocks were used to prepare these large structures. The outer portion of the pyramids use the yellowish lime stones wherein the interior features usage of granites. The blocks are fitted so perfectly that not a ray of light can enter inside the pyramids.

Though Egyptians are considered the pioneers in application and carving the natural stones, the Greeks were no less than them. They created many aesthetically pleasant stone statues and temples in their territory. But Greek sculpture mainly features marble stones which were polished to show ultimate off grandeur. “Temple of Artemis”, Statue of Zeus is few of the best stone works by the Greek architects. The comparatively newer Greek monuments include Theseum, Parthenon and many more. They still make the visitors spellbound with the natural shine and beauty. IN fact they lead the way of using stones at home. In ancient Greek household they started making pools, small statues etc with marbles.

The Roman stone work features the usage of both marbles and granites. In fact the strength, endurance and durability of the granite stones inspired them to use it for building roads. The columns of the houses and constructions, walls of public baths were all made from granites. But they adored marble stones for its beauty and splendor. They invented the technique of covering brick buildings with marble stones and this is in practice till date. The Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, is carved from milky white marble stone. The Chinese wall is also made from natural stone. Till date the natural stones are used to decorate the rooms of regular household and hold preference over synthetic stones.  For understanding  on natural stone and synthetic stone, click here.

It shows that the popularity of natural stones like will remain unaltered always not only because they are durable but also for their pleasant appearance. Get the best quality marble, granite and limestone in the  Bay Area California at Marble City Company