Beneath the Surface Blog

A sampling of the backlit onyx slabs we displayed at Neocon in Chicago this past June- if only we had a dime for every time we heard "is that real stone?". 100% natural!

We've enjoyed sharing our image library with you. Here is a recap of the main color ranges we explored:

1. Green onyx panels

2. Red onyx panels

3. Honey onyx panels

4. White onyx panels

For everything in between, there's always alternative stone types (such as blue marble), color filters, and man-made agglomerates to achieve the exact hue you're searching for!

So Cool: White Onyx

Admittedly, sometimes when clients request white onyx slabs that have little to no color or texture, we wonder "why don't you just paint the wall white or use an acrylic surface?". But there's something to be said for a sleek white slab that has cloudy layers that drift beneath the surface or distinctive sharp veins that form artistic compositions when bookmatched.

Backlit white onyx is a popular interior material, particularly in projects that are located in warm climate zones. (Think the Middle East, American South and American Southwest). The sleek nature of the stone surface visually represents coolness, and because our flat LED panels generate virtually no heat, the stone panels stay cool to the touch!

How do climate and context affect your color and material choices?

Honey onyx is easily the most popular stone for interior backlit features. And when most designers use the term “honey onyx”, they are referring to a very typical stone as shown below:

Did you know that yellow and gold onyx is available in many variations? From cloudlike formations to strong linear veining, honey onyx stone panels are particularly inviting when backlit with our warm white LED panels. Here are just a few types of onyx available in honey and gold shades:

The warm glow of backlit honey onyx is quite complementary to dark wood surfaces, making it an ideal stone for use in rich commercial lobby spaces and cozy residential environments.

Did you know that semi-precious stones are rated like diamonds as the rough blocks are pulled out of the ground? The variances found in natural stone can affect the maximum panel sizes, structural properties, degree of light transmission, and aesthetic elements of your design visions. GPI president Thomas Lawrence discusses how to best utilize the design process to shape your natural stone selections.

In predicting the variances found in natural stone, one can only predict common background colors, or overall color shades. As a product of nature, it is these variances that identify natural stone from manmade stones; it is what sets natural stone apart from other design surfaces. Inherently, this can make for daunting approval processes & procedures found within the designer / client relationship. Quarries, suppliers and natural stone processors should use caution when supplying samples swatches of natural stones. .

Variances from one slab to the other can vary greatly in semi-precious natural stones such as:

• Quartz
• Onyx
• Alabaster

These stones produce dramatic and quite unique variances that can provide challenges to the quarry or supplier as predicting these variances can prove to be unreliable. It is suggested that overall tones be depicted through a general identifying name or color shade, ie, HONEY ONYX, MULTI-BROWN ONYX, VOLCANO ONYX, BLUE ONYX.

1. Once a general shade has been identified, clients should be made aware of the stones typical and most recognizable characteristics, i.e., striated veining, cloud type appearance, cross cut characteristics and vein cut characteristics alike. It is only by identifying the general color tone and then recognizing the stones typical characteristics can a semi-precious stone be identified more clearly.
2. The client should consider obtaining ACTUAL photographs of current stones being quarried at the time of approval, for approval.
3. Samples can then be obtained after a “hold” has been placed on the stone in question.
4. If then, it is approved; the stone then can be processed from the stock being held.

In many cases natural stones are given names. Beware; these generalizations are far too encompassing to provide any accuracy when attempting to select a stone for processing. For example, HONEY ONYX should only communicate the overall tone and base color for the stone. Among HONEY ONYX itself, we know of over 30 varieties with many different characteristics and tones. Selecting such a variety can only come from a recent digital image from a trusted and knowledgeable supplier or via personal visit to the quarry yard itself.

-By Thomas Lawrence, GPI President

FROM THE MARBLE INSTITUTE OF AMERICA:

"Onyx is often confused with marbles, yet it is a significantly different rock type. Onyx is a sedimentary rock, formed as stalactites and stalagmites in cave interiors. This formation method results in the cryptocrystalline construction of the rock fabric, and it is the size and uniformity of these crystals that contribute to the classic translucent property of most onyx varieties. Characteristics of quarried stone are dependent upon the attributes of the deposit from which the stone was extracted; each quarry is able to offer a range of products unique in dimensions, color, and structural properties to its deposit. Therefore, it is preferable that the designer and stone supplier collaborate closely prior to and throughout the design process since planning a project around readily available stone reduces the environmental impact of raw material extraction."

http://www.marble-institute.com/