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Stainless Steel Sink for Granite countertops or Arizona Onyx?
Mayer quarry's onyx fascinates customers
Sue Doerfler
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 26, 2008 12:00 AM
 Your next bathroom sink could have been a million years in the making, right here in Arizona.
Striking one-of-a-kind sinks, as well as tile and other home accessories, are being made of onyx quarried near Mayer, AZ. "There's enough material there for another 200 years," Bosilcic said.
Popular as a building and accent material in Europe for centuries, stone now is sought after in the United States, said Rick Aronson, who is Stoneworld's marketing director.
Most Americans, however, think of travertine and granite when it comes to stone, Bosilcic said. That's because Americans are familiar with their uses as flooring and countertops. Onyx offers a decorative alternative. It tends to be translucent and can be backlighted to bring out the color and intricate pattern.
"Travertine is like bread in the food industry," Bosilcic said. "Onyx is creme brulee."
Arizona isn't known for its onyx, something he is hoping to change. Much of the world's supply of the semiprecious stone comes from Pakistan and Iran, he said.
That stone is a quartz variety. The onyx found at Mayer is actually an onyx marble, a crystalline form of lime carbonate, said Diane Bain, spokeswoman for the Arizona Department of Mines and Mineral Resources. Although softer than the quartz onyx, Mayer's onyx is still a fine building material, she said.
Accordingly, Stoneworld recommends the stone for use as sinks, floor tile, bathroom vanities, wall veneer and other decorative features. Most homeowners prefer harder stones, such as granite, for kitchen counters, Aronson said. On the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, considered the industry standard, Mayer onyx scores a 3.5, while granite scores 6.5 to 7.
Mayer onyx comes in two varieties: Grand Canyon Onyx, with layers of brown, red, white and green, and Black Canyon Onyx, in black, gray, dark brown and white. It takes about 1 million years to create a foot of the stone, Bosilcic said. Each layer reflects the sediment left when water flowed in and out of the area.
Dynamite doesn't work when it comes to extracting the stone. It would shatter the onyx, said Aronson, the marketing director. Instead, Stoneworld workers use a diamond wire saw. They drill three core holes, then thread a diamond-studded wire through the holes. A machine turns the wire, which cuts the stone into 5- by 5- by 6-foot blocks. It takes about six hours to cut one side.
When cutting is complete, water cushions - thin bags - are inserted into the cuts. They then are filled with water, which causes the stone block to move about 10 inches from the surrounding onyx. The blocks then are taken to be fabricated.
If they are to be made into tile, they are hauled to Ash Fork.
If they are to be made into sinks, they are shipped to China to save on production cost, Aronson said. Polishing the onyx makes the colors and patterns stand out. Even so, the onyx comes in a variety of finishes, from brushed to highly polished.
For now, the onyx is available regionally in the Valley, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, said Aronson, who is seeking to expand distribution.
Katarina Bosilcic, Ray's daughter, manages Stone Elements, 2046 W. Rose Garden Lane, the Phoenix showroom for Stoneworld's products and other stone. Examples of sinks, which retail for about $500 to $1,150; tile, which sells for $20 to $32 per square foot; and stair railings, bathroom counters and more can be seen there.
Customers are fascinated by the thought that the sink is a natural material and came from an Arizona quarry, Katarina Bosilcic said.
"I want to bring them (to the quarry) and show them that literally somebody cut it out of the ground," she said. Customers also like that no two sinks are the same.
"That's the beauty of it. Each and every one is different."
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