A bookmatch is a way of displaying stone slabs or tile by which at least two pieces are symmetrically placed one next to the other. Here’s a good example:

This is a very popular way of displaying expensive marbles, onyxes, quartzites and some granites. The reason is simple: they look much better! They are typically stones with strong veins and lines that, when bookmatched, create very geometric patterns that make your floor, walls or countertops much more interesting. Statuary white, a very exclusive white marble quarried in Carrara (Italy), really shows its beauty when bookmatched:

Not every stone can be bookmatched. Apart from the fact that some stones are two plain to be bookmatch (you wouldn’t even notice it), the factory that cuts and polishes the stone, needs to change the process when it wants the slab to bookmatch. Instead of polishing the same face of each slab, it needs to alternate for them to bookmatch. This obviously implies an extra cost for the factory, so it’s only done with expensive stones that, given their naturally formed veins and lines, look beautiful bookmatched.

Our recommendation: when you are shopping for stone tile or slabs, ask the sales person at your distributor to tell which stones they have available for bookmatch.