Bethany Jobe, Inventory and Sourcing Specialist
Bethany standing in a block yard
At Global Granite & Marble, we pride ourselves on having the best quality and most unique stones available. We travel all over the world to find material for our customers. Whether that means braving the busy streets or the rabid monkeys of India, eating unusual and mysterious foods in China, enduring the scorching summer heat in Brazil or driving through blizzards in the mountains in Italy, we do what it takes to fulfill these goals. We often reject materials even if they have been specifically prepared for us. For instance, on a recent trip to Taiwan, I demanded a block to be re-resined and re-polished before it would meet with our quality standards.
When we travel on purchasing trips, we always visit the suppliers and the factories, but we also go a step further to ensure we have “first pick” and select blocks from the block yards right when they come off the shipping vessels. On these trips, we also visit the quarries to see how the material is changing so we can inform our customers of what to expect in the months and years to come. We’ve seen first-hand that natural stone is always unique and unexpected and we’ve learned that even people who are experts in selecting blocks of material cannot always predict what will be inside once those blocks are cut.. For example, one block of Costa Smerelda that we selected looked beautiful from all eight sides, but once it was cut, they discovered a hole the size of a person! Another time, a block that was originally selected for us was instead sold to a museum when a rare fossil was found inside.
Bethany inspecting slabs of granite in Taiwan
After a trip up the mountainside in Italy
Carrara Marble Quarry
Trying to stay cool in Brazil
A block yard in Brazil
A moment to rest