JERUSALEM STONE

Jerusalem Stone in all of it's various shades and finishes is one of the most versatile limestones to use for both interior and exterior floors and walls. On the top level of the quarry is the bone colors moving down to the gold and then the grey. Combining the colors is easy as they blend together so well. The tiny fossils found in all the stones add to their movement and character. Working with well supplied distributors will make it easy to use split face on the walls and match a chiseled edge pattern on the floor. Stones from the same quarry will also allow you to match solid surface slabs and wall treatments.

The bone color is a warm beige with hints of gold and grey. This particular stone may not work for a modern look as the most common look is a chipped edge or brushed finish. The only way to make this a more modern look is with straight edge cuts and modern shapes, bricks laid on the vertical or thinner elongated pieces in an edgier pattern. The other way to create a more modern vibe is with the use of glass or metal or both in the design. When figuring out the overall design of your kitchens and bathrooms have several favored choices of wood stain chips with you when you shop in order to visualize your final project. Jerusalem Bone is available in various shades and other names are Hebron Fossil Cream or White, Jerusalem Cream, Pearl and Karina.

The most popular color choice of the Jerusalem limestones is the gold. Ranging in hue from light to dark it a a perfect blend with many wood stain colors and granite counter tops. Most of the Jerusalem limestones cannot be highly polished but should have a high hone if you want a shiny finish. The tiles are available in many sizes from 4" to 36." The larger tiles will become thicker as the size increases. The smaller tiles will be 3/8" and the large 36" tiles could be up to 3/4" thick. Antique reclaimed pieces could be up to 1" deep. When doing a renovation make sure what depth the butting floors are before deciding what tile size you may choose. Thresholds can be made from leftover slab pieces at your fabricator. Different shades of Jerusalem Gold are Cannan Gold, Antique Gold, Ramon Gold, Benjamin Gold, Galil, Halila and Hebron Gold. If you are buying from several sources make sure that you get samples of the suppliers latest shipment in order to match not only the colors but also the type of veining.

The grey Jerusalem Stones weren't widely used in the US until the late 1970's when the limestone was used for building cladding. The movement in the stone was more interesting than local materials. In Jerusalem the buildings are made from the gold and bone hues, the grey is not widely used for exteriors giving a price break for those early buildings. The Jerusalem quarries foresee at least another 100 years of supply. Recently archaeologists believe that they have discovered the original quarry from before the time of the Romans that the stones of the wailing wall were cut from.

The Benjamin Grey and Ramon Grey compliment the Carrara marble that was shown in earlier posts. The Gold limestones blend very well with the Calacatta Gold.

There is also a salmon colored Jerusalem stone available. The pink stone is created when the gold limestone is flamed. More on finishes later. My favorite place to shop is with Abe Judah at Jerusalem-stone.com they have an incredible selection of tiles, sinks, slabs and trim pieces.

CALACATTA & CALACATTA ORO

One of the most dramatic looks from the Carrara region. The veins are all grey in the Calacatta. When the gold is part of the stone it is called Calacatta Oro. Oro means gold in Italian. The background color of the marble is white which adds to the contrast. This is why I recommend choosing your slab material first, to blend in trims, mosaics and tiles you need to find materials with a white background.

These are book matched slabs and they can be used with either of the long sides matched for shower stalls or this match for long kitchen counter tops. These slabs are close to 60" high so that you can get two counter widths and back splashes or laminate pieces. Book matched slabs are generally more expensive than regular slabs, but there are ways to mitigate the expense. Chinese marble has the same white background and the materials made in China are less expensive. If you blend in mouldings and mosaics made from those materials your overall expense might be similar to non-book matched slabs.

The gold in Calacatta Oro lets you use light gold in the floor and wall materials. Jerusalem Gold also known a Halila complements the marble. Jerusalem Gold is a limestone that is available in polished, honed, brushed and tumbled. From the same Jerusalem quarries is another strata that is called Benjamin Gray and is a great blend with the Calacatta.

Another great choice is Lagos Blue or Azul and Lagos Gold from Spain. This limestone has more movement in the stone than the Jerusalem limestone.

The finishes available on the Calacatta slabs are polished or honed. Personally I recommend marble tiles on the floor be honed or brushed to make them less slippery. Mosaics come in all different sizes and textures. For floors, walls and shower floors there are Calacatta penny rounds, hexagons, bricks and squares available. To change up the classic look you can use glass or metal trim, mosaics or tiles. There are silver glass ovals or rounds from Sicis that can transform the classic to the extraordinary.

A source of some of beautiful kitchens and bathrooms using Calacatta and Calacatta Oro can be found at Velvet and Linen http://brookegiannetti.typepad.com/, please visit and enjoy.