Marble is defined as being a "crystalline, compact variety of metamorphosed limestone, capable of taking a high polish."

From ancient times through the present day, marble has been one of the most important monumental and building stones recognized for its quality and durability. Marble has fascinated man for centuries - Shakespeare's Macbeth used the phrase “I had else been perfect, whole as the marble...” showing how even hundreds of year ago, marble was recognised as a building material of the finest quality. The Taj Mahal is one of the great examples of marble wonders - now four centuries old.

Marble is also the most important stone used in sculpture - the distinctive luster is due to the effect caused by light penetrating a short distance into the stone and then being reflected from the surfaces of inner crystals. Italy has always been a leader in marble exploitation since the days of the Roman Empire with the renaiscennce sculpture of Michelengelo still among the finest in the world.

Carrara marble, occurring widely in the Apuan Alps of Italy and quarried in the region around Carrara, Massa, and Serravezza, was used in Rome architecturally in the time of Augustus, the first Emperor, but the finer varieties were discovered later. The greatest works of Michelangelo are made of this marble and it is used extensively by modern day sculptors.

Geologists classify marble as a metamorphic rock, that is one that has been formed when a change takes place in another rock. Marble deposits are located in the older meta sedimentary rock types.

Metamorphic rocks are formed deep beneath the earth's surface by extreme heat or pressure - they can also be formed when rock is mixed with other substances (e.g. magma). Marble is created from the metamorphosis of limestone, in which recrystallization takes place at temperature and pressure ranges varying from 500° C to 800° C and 5 to 10 thousand atmospheres. This results in the formation of the crystals that give many types of marble their striking effects.

It is the effect of other minerals that give marble its range of colours. Graphite gives black and grey colouration, while oxides of manganese produce pinks. Yellow, brown or cream colouration is due to the presence of limonite - a type of iron oxide.

The development of the stone industry supplying marble in fixed dimensions, including slats, is a recent phenomenon. Countries like Italy, France, USA, Germany & U.K were the first to process & trade dimensional stones. They accounted for 80% of the total world production, out of which Italy’s accounted for share was 40%. In 1926 the world production was 1.5 million tonnes of blocks and out of this marble’s share alone was 1.2 million tonnes while granite contributed for 0.2 million tonnes.

The consumption of marble is principally linked to the building industry and that too in the top quality section of society. As a result, countries including the USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, The Middle East, and Western Europe became the major buyers of dimensional stones in today's marble market.