An important granite archaeological find in Alexandria, Egypt

Egypt: A huge granite block thought to have once formed part of a 'Cleopatra temple' pillar in a sunken palace of Cleopatra has been raised from the sea at Alexandria. This nine-tonne stone, said to be from a temple to the goddess Isis, was lifted by crane out of the waters which have covered the palace for centuries.

It was cut from a slab of red granite quarried in Aswan, some 1,100km (700 miles) to the south, officials say. There are plans to exhibit it in a new museum devoted to the sunken city. Earthquakes are thought to have toppled the city in the 4th Century.

This is one of the most important archaeological finds in Alexandria, among the 400 items recovered by the Greek archaeological team that has been engaged in underwater research since 1998.

Article source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8419746.stm

Current Trends in Granite Industry

1. Reduced prices due to increased production

Extraordinary advances in extraction and elaboration techniques have dramatically increased the production of granite stones in the last decade and the decline in prices has also been witnesses. Decline can not only be attributed to lower prices but also to gross margins that have sharply come down in the recent years. As a result of technological improvement, unless a production unit is extremely efficient or the material being worked with is highly exclusive, the chances of making any profit at all are low.

2. Granite being used widely all over in major projects.

Among the positive developments in the granite industry, one of the upbeat activities is the greater awareness of it among the architects, and its growing popularity in major construction projects. Whether it is a commercial building, an airport, office centers, hotels or affordable granite kitchen, granite stones are becoming more and more popular for the big and small projects all over the world.

3. Granite companies in search of new materials all the time.

More and more new granite varieties are quarried all around the world all the time. New excavations are being opened every day to extract these beautiful natural stones in countries like Brazil, India, Africa etc. A large section of big granite factories have decided to work with granite materials that no one else has and thus are either setting up their own quarries in various countries, or signing agreements to purchase the whole production of certain quarries which is off course the convenient way to prosper in this highly competitive industry.