Among the many Italian minerals well known all around the world there are those found on the white marble. Probably the most appreciated are the fantastic quartz crystals that stand out from the white of the marble matrix.

    The Carrara marble quarries have been worked for more than 2000 years. And they are still worked today! Carrara marble is famous for the statuary quality, used for most of the famous sculptures in the world.  The first real beginning of the extractive activity was in the roman period during the imperial age. Demand for Carrara marble rose since continually until it became the most requested building stone for public buildings all over Europe and later worldwide.  Up to now more than one million tons of Carrara marble is quarried every year. During the Renaissance a lot of famous artists visited the quarries. Michelangelo would personally go the quarries and choose the marble for his masterpieces.

    From the geological point of view the Apuane Alps, and the marble that composes them, formed during the Jurassic age, mainly from limestone, giving a typical saccharoidal texture due to metamorphic re crystallization. In fact this marble formed for the compression of thick layers of residue of shells and other small animals that died in the sea over long periods of time. When the tectonic movements took place, the mountains rose from the sea and the marble was compressed more and more, gaining the current density of a rock.

Quartz on marble

Wurtzite on marble

Sulfur, colusite on marble

The Apuane Alps have been always quarried so that
blocks are cut directly from the mountain. This is an example of how marble is cut from the mountains!

This is a clear example of how marble is cut from the mountains !

   Over 70 minerals species have been described from the Apuane Alps and their marble. Most of the minerals are of very small in size (few mm) but absolutely perfect. The contrast with the white matrix enhances the ease of observation of these minerals. A lot of work is involved in removing of the specimens since the extraction from the large blocks of marble requires the use of meticulous techniques so to avoid the crystals to ... fly away! Among the many minerals that can be found on marble we have to remember wurtzite, albite, dolomite, calcite, gypsum, fluorite, pyrite, sulphur and last but not least quartz !

    This last is probably the most known? In fact starting during the Renaissance (15th-16th century) the Medici family in Firenze used these quartz crystals taken from the marble to make wonderful "fakes" of ... diamonds. Yes, a lot of incredibly beautiful jewels during those times (and also after!) were enriched with the bright quartzes of the Apuane marble.

    In this page a selection of wurtzite, colusite, sulphur and quartz crystals on white marble matrix has been prepared selecting the best among a group of two dozen specimens found while collecting at the Apuane quarries. These quartz crystals are hard to find and even harder to take out of the giant blocks of marble!
    All of them are water clear, perfectly terminated; some of them are biterminated and associated with dolomite or calcite. A real nice and valuable acquisition for any collection!