On your journey to find the right stone for your project you might have come across the term ‘bookmatch’ when looking at the availability of a certain stone at a store. So what exactly does it mean?
Bookmatching is a technique used by many design professionals to create beautiful patterns using two or more nearly identical stone slabs in a mirrored “open book” arrangement.
The process of a piece of giant rock becoming a shining slab starts at the quarry where big blocks are being cut from the mountain. This block is then being cut with diamond saws into slabs, which looks like slicing a loaf of bread. Each slab needs to be polished.
Here comes the distinctiveness of a bookmatch: instead of polishing the same side of every slab, for the bookmatched slab the inside of two adjacent slabs needs to be treated in order to achieve the closest match in pattern given that it is a natural stone with every inch having its unique veining. So that when open like a book, the stones will present a beautiful mirror image of each other.
The images of Blue Crystal Onyx below show some of the different patterns and effects that can be achieved with a single bookmatched set.
Bookmatched stone slabs can be used in large spaces to take full advantage of the design possibilities offered by bookmatching the right stones. Bookmatches can be used in many areas such as large kitchen islands, fireplace surrounds, as an artistic feature wall or backdrop in a bar area, a bedroom or even the lobby of an office building for a bold statement.
Most natural stones can bookmatch, so if there is a specific stone that you are interested in we are happy to show you the possibilities as we carry one of the largest selections of bookmatched stones.
Ideally, when purchasing bookmatched stones the veining, movement and linear patterns should be aligned correctly to emphasize the dramatic and unique details that create the desired stunning visual effects.
If you are looking to create a unique and artistic statement piece for your next project, bookmatching offers you limitless opportunities to create your own piece of abstract art using natural stones.
