The remarkable quartzite - included in our Mandus selection - has an amazingly long formation history of 2 billion years. It is one of the oldest works of art of nature that you can find in our online store. It is hard to imagine what this rock has experienced.

The quartzite was formed from a residual melt, which together with rare earths developed into large crystals. These rocks, known as pegmatites, formed in ruptured crevices where seabed was deposited. Further subsidence into the Earth's mantle melted the sand and, in combination with various ores, formed the characteristic white-ground texture.

Another distinctive feature of quartzite is the translucency of the dark areas, which allows the stone to be shone through with backlighting of varying intensity. This special feature gives the natural stone, depending on the incidence of light, a completely different effect and is a special highlight.

The block quartzite - contained in our "Pinega" STEINBILDER - has an evolutionary history of incredible 1.2 billion years. During its time of origin, animal organisms appeared for the first time, which were able to move independently.

The block quartzite of these STEINBILDER was formed by a lowering of the old depositional layers. By the displacement into deeper and thus warmer zones of the earth's mantle these layers were "frozen" so to speak.

The extraordinary coloration is due to metal ores, which are added to this natural stone. With its blue hues and the special grain, the block quartzite is reminiscent of a slightly churned, wavy sea.

The natural stone from our Magnolia selection was also formed 1.2 billion years ago and can be classified as block quartzite. Despite the same time of formation and classification, however, the two block quartzites show clear optical differences.

The block quartzite from the Magnolia selection is characterized by its red coloring and does not contain any blue. This variety between the two natural stones impressively illustrates the artistic diversity of nature.

The formation of a block quartzite requires, above all, strong pressure and specific mechanical stress, combined with high temperatures. All this happened in millionfold processes over 1.2 billion years.

The metamorphite, from which the STEINBILDER of our Vulcan Selection are made, was already formed 700 million years ago, during the Ice Age.

After the end of the ice age, there was a series of volcanic eruptions, which cut the earth with numerous volcanic cracks. Old sand layers of pure white quartz played an important role in the formation of this natural stone. These mixed with the crushed minerals such as blue corderiet and disthene and were solidified by heat at depth to form a solid mass.

In the course of the earth's history, the metamorphite has undergone various ages that have shaped it and made it an incredible work of art. Another special feature: this stone is also translucent, allowing the volcanic colors to shine through. By integrating a light installation, additional facets of this natural stone become visible, which vary depending on the lighting.