Italian Ashtrays in Santafiora Stone, Set of 2

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Rational and solid pair of round ashtrays; each was obtained from a single block of Santafiora stone; the craftsman drew on the faces of the block the shapes to be made, then made a first roughing with diamond discs, giving intuitively the proportions of the two objects; then, wetting the stone with water to soften slightly the material, he began the manual work with special metal tools removing the excess material trying not to hit the veins because it would have risked breaking the stone; he then smoothed the objects with file and sandpaper to make them smooth and to define their shape; the last operation was polishing, first with fine-grained abrasive paper, then with very fine sand mixed with water and finally with natural acid products (sulfur powder and oxalic acid) to give the velvety effect, obtainable only by hand. The two ashtrays were made between 1969 and 1971 in a workshop in the town of Manciano (Grosseto-Italy), an important area for the extraction and processing of Santafiora stone, which takes its name from the stream that flows at the foot of the quarries. The ancient Etruscan Tuscia, today's Alto Lazio and Maremma Toscana, boasts an orographic system rich in stones that makes it a unique basin in the world. In the heart of this territory, and of the history that accompanies it, lies the extraction of Santafiora stone; the large basins of the quarries guarantee homogeneous quantitative and qualitative standards of the extracted materials, both for chromaticism and for physical/mechanical characteristics. The stones extracted here, in blocks of large size, are guaranteed by history, as already used in the past for the construction of major works, such as the Roman theater of Ferento (Viterbo-Italy) and the well-known "City of the Popes" (Viterbo-Italy) and today required in the world for important and prestigious buildings. The Santafiora stone formed about 20 million years ago comes in different varieties, but all with the same geological and technical-mechanical characteristics; these stones are not affected by the action of external agents such as smog, frost, acid rain, salt and can be used in all types of climatic and environmental conditions. Our ashtrays are made of Santafiora Dorata stone, a material used in luxury furniture, with color tending to gold accompanied by typical brown veins that create refined patterns, designs, and unique shapes. It is a stone, particularly suitable for floors and walls, it personalizes and gives to the environments a refined elegance. Gilded Stone is also used extensively in artwork, fireplace columns, fountains, solids, picture frames, and luxury art objects. The stone Santafiora is also ideal for giving life to furniture solutions, designed to beautify the house by adding functionality and style, so when it comes to objects in natural stone can then range from large objects to smaller objects having purely a decorative purpose but always with polychrome effects suggestive and natural, however, under the sign of simplicity, embellish and personalize your home. The ashtrays are in excellent condition. Measures large diameter 14.5 cm, height cm., small diameter 12.5 cm, height cm.3.