Stone direct services October 24/31, 2016: Volume 31, Number 10
By Ken Ryan
Flooring retailers trying to find new revenue streams will want to look back a couple of centuries for the following great opportunity—natural stone. Executives tout gemstone as something that brings the colours and texture of nature to homes while adding an excellent and heat to some room that proponents say isn’t feasible with every other material.
“As an all natural product it makes a glance that’s fantastic and can’t be fully replicated with products designed to seem like gemstone,Inches stated Bob Baldocchi, chief marketing officer/v . p ., sales support for Emser Tile.
With stone sales forecasted to maneuver towards the mid to greater-finish markets, flooring retailers possess the chance to learn from not only a flooring product but additionally countertops, wall tile and ornamental mosaics. “As technology is constantly on the advance, we will have elevated creativeness with stone mosaics,” stated Roy Viana, director of gemstone and slab for Daltile. “The elevated interest in textured mosaics helps drive the advancement to 3-dimensional tile, which adds depth and character to your rooms.Inches
Stone—perhaps since it is an all natural material—has spooked some dealers from dealing with the course. However that is among the misconceptions that heretofore have stored stone from as being a truly mainstream flooring category. Baldocchi stated among the greatest myths is stone is tough to market or explain. “Shown properly, stone sells itself.”
Viana believes it’s important for flooring retailers to carry on to teach customers around the maintenance and use of gemstone. “Many do it yourself shows feature stone or stone-look products throughout renovations, driving demands for that product,” he described. “However, it is crucial that customers understand the natural nature of stone and also the upkeep. Proper upkeep of stone will make sure their investment lasts.”
New developments
Just like other flooring surfaces, stone formats are leaving small , square to large and rectangular. As stone processing is constantly on the improve and be more effective at both quarry and factory levels, pricing is likely to keep falling, making gemstone much more of considered for that finish users having a modest budget.
“Additionally, these enhancements are enabling us to provide more gemstones in bigger formats, for example 8 x 36 planks or 18 x 36, which accustomed to either be hard or is at limited supply,” Viana stated. “The gemstone industry is constantly on the reinvent itself through new gemstones, finishes and formats in most groups, having a bigger concentrate limestone and marble products.” Daltile’s brand new one Quarta movement collection, comprising 93% natural quarta movement stone, combines the feel of quarta movement with today’s technology to supply a distinctive searching, durable surface.
M S Worldwide, an innovator within the stone and slab space, lately added 12 new natural colors to the Stacked Stone collection. Two products, Calacatta Cressa 3D Honed and Statuarietto Capri 3D Honed, attain the on-trend appearance of Italian white-colored marble, that is gaining recognition.
Resourse: http://fcnews.internet/2016/10/natural-stone-poised-for-mainstream-move/
Documentary:The Origin of Colored Gemstone
Video COMMENTS:
Susan Harris: I am afraid you left out the whole process of cutting and faceting which are the most important aspects of gem preparation not just the polishing. ALSO you failed to mention the heat treatments which most rubies and sapphires are subject to in order to improve color. In fact, in the jewelry industry you assume that every ruby or sapphire has been the subject of treatments unless you have positive proof that it has not. The jeweler should by law disclose any treatment of a stone they are selling in a piece of jewelry, but I suspect often does not. There are simply not enough good gem quality rubies and sapphires to meet the demand without resorting to treatments of inferior colored natural stones. The whole story of rubies and sapphires is just not as simple as you make it sound.
RuralMoney.com: You did an excellent job showing the level of work it takes to produce some of the world's most beautiful gems. Your narration was good too. Because of this video, I appreciate the stones that I have collected, that I was taking for granted. Thank you.
Lincoln Fong: wow i found a nice big one just laying on the ground at 16:23 on the video ~ finders keepers ? ha ha ha