The product is available world wide, however quarries in Italy, France, Germany, Spain, and the UK are usually favoured for the home market. Visits to quarries are usually advised for high value and prestige projects to confirm the quality and consistency of the product.

The flexibility of each material is only limited by the imagination, and a wide range of applications are available for both internal and external use.

Each product can be used to form worktops, vanity units, stairs and steps, wall panels, architraves, cills, fire surrounds and even furniture. Modular tiles and fittings are also available for walls and floors, and should be considered for prestige applications. The low maintenance cost of each product further enhances the prestige, quality and durability inherent in the product.

A regular sweeping and washing of floors with clean water, and a wipe over with a wash leather for walls is generally satisfactory. Applied seals and specialist treatments applied at installation are often re-applied at regular intervals and special cleaning fluids and creams are also available for certain situations.

All products are natural materials and subject to variations in colour, marking and texture which should be considered when specifying, however many surface finishes are available individually or combined to each such as,

Above is only a small range of granite. The variety in colour and veining added to its unique tones and flecks make granite along with marble one of the most aesthetically pleasing stones to view. These pictures only convey a small range of the large spectrum of colours and tones that granite is available in. This variety, along with the stones durability and strength make it a popular choice with clients as it enables them to specify the prefect type to suit individual requirements.

Above is a unique and fascinating range of marble. As impressive as these pictures are, they can only convey an impression of the vast range and multitude of colours that this stone has to offer. Such is the range of the eye-catching colours and complex patterns of veining, that it enables clients to specify the perfect type of marble to suit their individual requirements and why marble has remained one of the most popular choices throughout the history of the trade.

This picture has been created using a montage of the many different limestone samples we have acquired over the years. Limestone can be found in a variety of colours and tones, each type with its unique amount of fossil content. This appeals to clients and architects who are able to specify the exact type of limestone to suit their requirements. The vast range of limestone and its versatile nature, added to its durability are the key reasons why it remains a popular choice for wall and floor tiling.

Below is a brief description of the marble quarrying process. This particular quarry is found in the mountains of Sicily. This description should give some insight into what the quarrying process entails and the techniques employed to extract marble in block form.

This is where the process begins. After surveying the quarry an area is chosen to begin the block cutting process. The picture to the right shows an excellent view of where the block cutting began. This area was chosen for its structural stability, aesthetic attributes and accessibility.
	This shows is a fault in the mountainside. This area would have been surveyed and avoided due its instability. All discarded materials and waste from the cutting process will be placed here as this area will not be used for cutting.
The next step in the process is to drill a large circular hole down into the slab, and then drill another from the sides so they meet and form a square shape. Using the circular holes, large chainsaws cut out the square block with a high degree of accuracy. This will allow a large square block to be extracted from the mountainside ready to taken back to the factory.
	Seen here the blocks are cut away with ease and efficiency. They are then bound with heavy-duty chains and extracted via crane to a designated area in preparation for the journey to the factory. Note the ‘squareness’ of the area. This is due to large amounts of block cutting that have changed the shape of this area of the mountainside.
This picture shows a good view of the large cutting machine on the quarry floor. The large chains that cut the blocks are drawn through the boreholes, seen previously, and pulled out via this machine. This machine will cut down blocks to suit the required dimensions and weight before they are transported to the factory.
	To the left is a good view of the blocks awaiting distribution to the factory. From here they will be craned onto the back of heavy load artic lorries and transported to the factory. Due to the extreme weights and sizes of the blocks the journey will be slow and cautious
This is where the quarry process ends and the factory process begins. The slabs are craned off the back of the lorries and placed onto the cutting machines. Here is a block being cut in the factory. Large diamond tipped blades are passed through the block with water being poured into the cuts to ease the process. The block is then cut into slabs of a desired thickness.
	The slabs are then passed through large polishing machines. This machine passes over the slab grinding the surface to the desired thickness. These slabs will be required in polished finish and the degree of grinding will calibrated to give this effect.
Finally a picture of the finished slab, cut to the desired length, width and thickness with a polished finish. From here these slabs will be crated and packed so they are ready for delivery to the client. This marks the end of the quarrying and manufacturing process.

W.B.Simpson & Sons (Terrazzo) Ltd are active members of The National Federation of Terrazzo, Marble & Mosaic Specialists (NFTMM) and further information is also available from them.