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 caved for more than 2000 years. And they are caved also today ! Carrara marble is famous for the statuary quality, used by all the most famous sculpturers in the world.  The first real beginning of the 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 all over Europe and, later, worldwide.  Up to now more or less one million tons of Carrara marble are quarried every year. During the Reinassance a lot of famous artists were used to visit the quarries. Michelangelo in person was used to go the quarries and select 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 in age, mainly by  limestones giving a typical saccaroidal texture due to metamorphic recrystallization. In fact this marble formed for the compression of the meters and meters of residual of shells and other small animals died in the sea. When the tectonical movements took place, the mountains rised from the sea and the marble was shrinked and compressed more and more, gaining the consistance of a rock.

Quartz on marble

Wurtzite on marble

Sulfur, colusite on marble

The Apuane Alps have been always caved so that to cut
blocks directly from the mountain

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

    Over than 70 species of minerals have been described from the Apuane Alps and their marble. Most of the minerals are of very small dimension ( few mm ) but absolutely perfect . The contrast with the white matrix gives an absolute evidence to these minerals. A lot of work is behind each of the specimens with these minerals since the extraction from the large blocks of marble requires the use of meticulous techniques so that to avoid the crystals to ... fly away ! Among the many minerals that can be found on marble we have to remeber wurtzite, albite, dolomite, calcite, gypsum, fluorite, pyrite, sulfur and last but not least quartz !

    This last is probably the most known. In fact starting during the Reinassance (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 joels during those times (and also after!) were enriched with the bright quartzes of the Apuane marble.

    In this page a selection of wurtzite, colusite, sulfur and quartz crystals on statuary white marble has been prepared selecting the best among a group of two dozens specimens found collecting at the Apuane quarries. These quartzes are not easy to find and to take out of the giant blocks of marble !
    All of them are waterclear, perfectly terminated, some of them are biterminated and associated with dolomite or calcite. A real nice and valuable aquisition for any collection !