The word “Marble” stems from the Greek word ‘mur’ or ‘murmur’ or ‘murmurous’ meaning shiny stone. Marble is a type of limestone, and is a metamorphic non-foliated rock, is a re-crystallized carbonate mineral combination of calcite and dolomite lime. Marble is quarried in Tuscany, Italy; specifically the Carrara region. As there are many colors of marble, the two white marbles that most people are familiar with are Carrara and Calacatta.
Carrara marble is well known as the stone Michelangelo used in creating his sculpture, “David.” Carrara marble is considered whitish, usually with leaner, straighter bluish-grey veining. By contrast, Calacatta marble is visibly whiter than Carrara, with less blue and more grey, and many times cream or gold in more curvaceous veining.
Although Calacatta marble is quarried in the same Carrara region in Tuscany as Carrara marble, Calacatta marble is considered rare and can be difficult to acquire, thus more expensive.