If the marble is completely smooth, it was machine made and has no pontil marks. Step 1. how do i know what kind of marble i have and where it might have been made? Marble is a beautiful, noble material that can work in any kind of bathroom style--from traditional to modern, from retro to vintage. A latticino core could indicate a handmade marble, while manufactured marbles likely will have a naked core or solid core. If you see scratches or signs of wear on the surface of your stone, you are looking at real marble. A latticino core could indicate a handmade marble, while manufactured marbles likely will have a naked core or solid core. During this procedure, a stick is used where the marble is attached. This section discusses these types, and offers an image identification library. You can often see your face reflected. Computer games are a favorite with children today, and games like Ringer, Marble Arch, Lagging, etc., playing with marbles are yet to captivate the minds of these young ones. A real marble top will show scratches and etching over time. Marble tiles may have veins running through them, while travertine will have holes that have been filled with a resin. At first they may have been simple round stones or clay balls. If you have not already done so I would check over the cases. If you scratch a knife on a marble top (do this on the underside of the slab!) If the polished and clean surface has roughness or bumps, it is not marble. Not all sculptures require a base. The most reliable way to tell if you are looking at real marble is to test its hardness by cutting with something sharp like a knife. After the marble was made, the creator ground the pontil mark down to create the slightly rough yet flat mark on the bottom. Pros: Pulled right out of the ground, marble makes for a gleaming surface and adds polish to your home. Marble is one of the most common metamorphic rocks to be used in countertops, and can be easily identified by the distinctive veins common in most marble surfaces. Feel the pontil mark, and determine how rough it is. Check the opacity of the glass. Once done, the stick is broken on its end. When you’re in a flooring showroom, take a close look at the quartz tiles and slabs on display. Evaluate your marble collection in detail. Feel the pontil mark, and determine how rough it is. Real marble … Feel along the marble until you locate a rough spot. “Even the popular white hues can vary in different lighting and veining, just as you see in white paint hues and undertones,” Barclay says. These countertops go well with almost any decor. Certain examples of these miniature pieces of art have since become very valuable, but unless you know exactly what you’re looking out for it can be difficult to tell if you’ve just found the big one. Marbles have been made of all kinds of materials throughout history. Test by Trying to Form a Ball of Soil. Many of the older marbles are opaque, not transparent, and lighting does not reveal the center. Diversity of Slabs and Tiles. This leaves a tiny rough patch on the marble, which is known as the pontil. Prior to the introduction of machine made marbles, almost all were hand-blown. Marbles have been made from non-glass materials such as wood, clay and stone, for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. and don’t see the damage, the surface is likely granite or manufactured stone. Luckily, they have several distinct qualities that help tell them apart. A Helpful Guide to Identify Antique Marbles. Evaluate your marble collection in detail. Run your fingers over areas of different color; if they are smoother, the tile may be resin. Pick up a marble-sized chunk of moist soil and roll it between your thumb, forefinger, and middle finger, as if trying to shape it into a little ball. In this section of the Countertop Guides website, we want to share the most popular countertop materials being installed in homes today. There are a number of types of non-glass marbles that collectors seek out. Favorite Answer. With a clayey soil, your rolling will be successful: you'll end up with a ball the size of a marble. 1 decade ago. Ceramic and porcelain tiles can be more uniform. 3 Answers. Answer Save. Certain examples of these miniature pieces of art have since become very valuable, but unless you know exactly what you’re looking out for it can be difficult to tell if you’ve just found the big one. If you notice dull areas when holding the tile under a light at a slight angle, especially when most of the surface has a mirrorlike appearance, this typically indicates a lower quality marble. Find a spot on the surface that is inconspicuous (such as a corner or a place covered by an object). What is the difference between marble and sandstone? In this section of the Countertop Guides website, we want to share the most popular countertop materials being installed in homes today. When you get the stone firmly shaped out and decide how you want it to stand, you will have to decide what kind of base to mount it on. You’ll notice a certain uniformity that doesn’t occur in nature. The Rhino. More recently they have been made of actual marble, clay, porcelain, glass and steel.