Jul 16
2026

“Troupe“ fungi cluster by sculptor Ben Russell.

“Troupe“ fungi cluster by sculptor Ben Russell is carved in a semi-translucent alabaster with interesting veining, mottling, and varied tones through a predominantly white/opaque background. It measures 41 cm high, 30 cm wide, and 26 cm deep (1, 2).

Garis (Gary) Distelhorst, 84, former CEO of the Marble Institute of America (MIA), passed away on July 06 in Avon Lake, Ohio (1, 2).

At the General Assembly of Confindustria Marmomacchine, more than 170 delegates from Italian stone and machinery companies extended President Gianluca Pellegrino’s term of office through 2026–2028. The assembly also confirmed the association’s four Vice Presidents for the next two years: Francesco Antolini, Nicoletta Caruso, Alessandro Ferrari, and Flavio Stenico.

200 limited places are open for the IUGS Geoheritage Event 2026 (November 04 – 08) at the Algarvensis Geopark in Portugal.

The online ticket office for Marmomac 2026 (September 22 – 25) is now open.

Applications for the Salone Satellite of Salone del Mobile.Milan 2027, dedicated to designers under 35, are open until August 30, 2026 (1, 2).

Kengo Kuma & Associates and Paul Raff Studio’s draft for the 200-Block Banff Avenue Redevelopment Project in Banff National Park was chosen by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC), in partnership with Parks Canada.

In Sweden, just under one in three people (37 percent) would like a close relative to have a traditional grave with a headstone. Men and young adults make up the majority of this group, according to a survey commissioned by the Swedish Natural Stone Association and published in the magazine “Sten” (Swedish).

The Swedish Government has approved funding for the renovation of the Royal Opera building in Stockholm. The decision allows an investment of SEK 3.25 billion in the building located at Gustav Adolfs Torg.

Greece restored part of the Parthenon’s western façade, the Smithsonian magazine reports. The project in Athens started in 2017 and involved quarrying, transporting, hand-carving and placing new marble blocks in one of the landmark’s triangular pediments.

Quartzite is trending and it could outshine marble, the Good Housekeeping magazine writes.

Cambodia to hold off on new marble licenses as government prioritizes existing investment, Kiripost informs.

A Gio Ponti-inspired marble floor was used to modernize a 19th-century villa in London’s Chelsea district.
 

Video of the month: Massive stone head statues can be found at the archaeological site of Mount Nemrut in Adiyaman, southeastern Turkey. Included are 10-meter-high, seated statues of King Antiochus I himself, surrounded by ancient Gods, including Zeus and Apollo.