MATERIAL: Granite

All that glitters is not marble

People often assume that every magnificent piece of gleaming natural stone is marble, but much of it is actually granite.

Granite is a symbol of strength and durability for a very good reason—it’s one of the hardest naturally occurring substances on the planet. As such, granite is highly resistant to heat, cold, the elements, and the ages.

Granite is available in myriad natural colors and patterns. As a countertop material in particular, granite consistently outperforms other substances such as butcher block, ceramic tile, and laminate.

Granite is especially well-suited for indoor areas that see heavy foot traffic. Outdoors, granite is used in paving driveways and patios, making curbs, and as exterior wall cladding.

Examples of famous structures built with large amounts of granite include the Washington Monument and the Great Wall of China. And, of course, there’s Mount Rushmore, which is actually a gigantic granite sculpture.

Granite is a hard, coarse-grained igneous rock formed when magma—or molten rock—solidifies in the earth’s crust. For the most part, granite contains feldspar, quartz, and mica. The colors in granite are caused by the minerals and other organic matter present when the granite was in its molten state.

A majority of the granite used worldwide comes from quarries in India, and Brazil.