| The ancients knew all about marble - the word comes from the Latin marmora - and they prized it above all other rock for their works of art. The Venus di Milo was carved by an unknown Greek sculptor from pure white marble, quarried on the island of Paros. All marble starts life as limestone, but great pressure transforms it into a hard, crystalline rock that can be worked and polished. White in its pure form, impurities form veins of many colours and make each slab unique. |