Brocatelle marble has the reputation of being a fragile but very beautiful hard stone. Brocatelle was quarried in Jura and is found in two varieties, one yellow, the other violet. There is also a mixed variety, used less often and therefore rarer in antiques today. There is a variety of violet Brocatelle that comes from Spain.
The oldest carved Brocatelle marble found was in Pompei. It was often used on the grandiose decorations of the 18th and 19th century: The Petit Trianon in Versailles, the Garnier Opera house in Paris.
