Buying stone

Buying stone

Sue Taves

You can never have too much stone. That may be what will be on my tombstone. Maybe I’ll have multiple tombstones to make my point. The stone buying in Italy has begun. I’m not sure how much more I’m going to get, I keep thinking “that’s enough for now” and then I think about how some of what I’m seeing I can’t get in the States. I do feel I’m showing some restraint in that we’re planning on filling some crates but not filling our own shipping container. Yet.

Want to see what I got? Of course you do!

My first buy. Just kidding, see below for what I really bought.
From the first source. Not all of these are mine. Most…but not all.
What they look like unloaded. The big “cut off” is Cipollino, white and gray with hints of green. Some Bardiglio and some whites with gray veins.
The stack from Friday. I splashed some water on so you could see the color. The Pink Portuguese Marble is Eirene’s. It was a good day. For scale, the long ones in this photo are 8 feet long.

More stone is being delivered later this week. I have yet to find a chunk of mostly white marble that I have to bring home but lots of lovely Bardiglio and other grays. Did I mention how hard it is to choose?

I love the little trucks here too, now I want a little Piaggio like this one to bring home. Maybe if I got a container I could just put one inside with the stone?

A sweet little Piaggio.

Ciao!

9 thoughts on “Buying stone”

    • Next time! Last time I bought a big block I had to rent a special crane to lift it off the delivery truck because it weighed 18,000 pounds (9 tons). When I learn more about how to ship stone back to the US I may have to get some bigger blocks though, they are so gorgeous!

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  • Great to see a good catch! Watch The cipollino – it’s pretty, but abrasive. If you use an electroplated blade, earmark that one for cipollino only. If you use a sintered blade, just sharpen it after you’re done. We drove past Estremoz, Portugal and saw some of the pink marble quarries from the highway last month!

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    • Good tip, thanks Michael, it’ll be a new stone for me. Oh, the pink is really something. I’d love to see a whole pink quarry!

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  • Very nice off-cuts! An ATV with a small flatbed and trailer option might be a more capable solution: can carry about 500 lbs in the back, tow 1000 more and can get into steep/tight spots…works for me. On the other hand those Piaggios are rather sexy….

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    • Yes, probably not so practical getting a Piaggio, I’m putting it on my fantasy list purely because it’d be cool!

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