Once upon a time, there was a challenge daring to be brought to existence. The architect had done his part by sketching it on paper. The client approved the palpitating life and hastily incorporated it on a tall glass facade of the home overlooking the garden. The design reached us, only to be greeted by an audible gulp!
Sitting at the head of a landscaped garden with a lazy water body on its side, the 20ft by 20ft platform was destined for a makeover. Its fate, however, rested (precariously) in our capabilities.
The vision was simple – lay the whitest white marble and inlay it with green paua abalone and golden mother-of-pearl following the perfect curves of the design sheet. The underlying principle, however, was as complex – that the design i.e. marble fitting with inlaid pattern must appear joint-less.
At first, our three decade old marble business experience pronounced this concept defunct. “Some designs are meant to stay only on paper…in a folder. Not every design sees the light!” Mr Experience also proclaimed. Reflexively, the (relatively) new blood surged to the surface and pitched in with an opinion. The opinion, suggested by Mr Fighter, seemed to lack conviction but asked for a trial.
“Writing off an opportunity without giving it a shot is criminal.”
Mr Experience collaborated with Mr Fighter’s instinct and, together, came up with a solution! It ensured that the architect’s vision will be replicated to perfection without any compromise.
Australian White Marble slabs stood in attention, queued by the CNC machine, at the workshop. The most complex part was resolved – the components of the ‘infinity design’ lay stacked neatly, ready to be dispatched to the site.
With all the preparations made for the laying to begin, Mr Experience cleared his throat. Instead of the usual cement, he advised the crew to use adhesive so that Australian White retains its whiteness. An important insight at the right time safeguarded the material’s character and future.
Once all the inter-connecting elements were cemented, default triangles lay hollow between adjoining petals of the infinity design. These were filled with cement too. Finally, a coat of polish was run on the whole platform. The second team, then, took over – the expert trio of marble inlay.
Individual pieces of golden mother-of-pearl were cut and made ready to precision as per design. The default gaps between adjoining petals of the infinity design were inlaid with green paua abalone.
The design’s curves were traced along the marble pieces’ joints accurately. This was followed by a manually operated water jet cutter slicing those lines to create a 0.5 inch wide strip. Another team member chipped away the marble to make way for the mother-of-pearl inlay in that strip.
Each golden mother-of-pearl piece was painstakingly shaped and numbered correctly so as to fit accurately in its respective position on the 20’x20’ platform. One by one, the artisan pasted his special adhesive in the grooves of the Australian White Marble and inlaid the corresponding golden mother-of-pearl piece. Steadily, the beautiful design emerged spectacularly from the white marble.
When every mother-of-pearl piece was inlaid precisely, Mr Experience chimed a reminder. A chemical coating was applied to the finished Australian White Marble to seal its tendency of porosity. Then, a diamond polish machine worked its magic.
On a mundane platform in an otherwise scenic property, a stunning design shone bright now. The infinity design, as conceptualised by the architect, built individually came together magnificently as one whole stone to soak the autumn sun in full glory.
