Every sink we make starts as a single solid block of Anatolian stone and becomes a finished basin in five stages: block selection at the quarry, cutting and rough shaping, hand hollowing and carving, sanding through progressively finer grits to a honed or polished finish, and finally sealing and crating. From block to your bathroom takes about 3–4 weeks, and because the whole piece comes from one block — no seams, no glued panels — the stone itself decides the final character of your sink. Here is the journey, stage by stage, as it happens in our atelier in Antalya.
Why Anatolian stone
We are not being romantic when we say the story starts in the ground. Türkiye sits on some of the richest dimension-stone geology on earth: the country's General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) estimates its marble and natural stone reserves at roughly 5.1 billion cubic metres — around a third or more of the world's known marble reserves. The industry built on top of that geology leads the world too: according to IndexBox's 2024 world market analysis, Türkiye was the largest exporter of marble and travertine globally, shipping about 3.2 million tons — roughly 40% of world export volume. Working a short drive from these quarries means we select blocks in person rather than from photographs, and it is why stones like Calacatta Viola and travertine reach our workshop with their character intact.
Stage 1: Selecting the block
At the quarry, blocks are graded for colour, veining, and soundness. We look for three things: veining that will read well on a curved basin (a pattern that looks spectacular on a flat slab can look chaotic wrapped around a bowl), consistent background colour, and no hidden fractures — checked by wetting the block and tapping it along its length.
For boldly veined stones we practise vein-matching: deciding, before any cutting, exactly where the dominant veins will fall on the finished sink — across the front apron, along the rim, or diving into the basin. For paired basins, two sinks can be cut from adjacent sections of the same block so the veining flows from one to the other, the same logic as book-matched slabs. This is the single biggest difference between carving to order and buying from a warehouse shelf: the veining on your Calacatta Viola sink is chosen, not chanced.
Stage 2: Cutting and rough shaping
The selected block is cut down on a bridge saw to an oversized blank — the sink's final dimensions plus a working margin. The outer form is then roughed out: corners taken down, the silhouette established, the drain position marked against your plumbing measurements. At this stage a heavy rectangle of stone first starts to look like a sink, and it is also our last quality gate before the slow work begins — any flaw exposed by cutting means the blank is rejected and we go back to the block.
Stage 3: Hollowing and carving — the slow part
Hollowing the basin is where most of the craft (and most of the risk) lives. The interior is removed gradually, working from the centre outward, until the walls reach their final thickness — thick enough for strength, thin enough for grace. Details that define our designs are carved here: fluted facades cut groove by groove, curved lips, tapered walls, integrated backsplashes shaped from the same block.
Much of this work is done by hand with rotary tools and rasps, guided by templates but finished by eye. It is the slowest stage of the five and what separates a hand-carved basin from a moulded composite one: on pieces like our custom hand-carved Calacatta Viola sink, no two flutes are machine-identical, and that is the point.
Stage 4: Sanding, honing or polishing, and sealing
The carved sink is sanded through progressively finer abrasive grits — coarse pads to erase tool marks, then step by step toward the finish you chose:
- Honed: the sequence stops at a smooth matte surface. Softer look, hides water spots and light etching; our default recommendation for bathroom basins.
- Polished: the sequence continues to a reflective gloss that saturates the colour and makes veining vivid — the classic choice for dark stones like the Nero Marquina round vessel sink.
Finally the stone is sealed with a penetrating (impregnating) sealer that soaks into the surface and slows water and oil absorption without changing the look. Every basin leaves the workshop pre-sealed; owners re-apply a wipe-on sealer every 6–12 months, a five-minute job we cover in our care guide.
Stage 5: Crating and shipping, DDP
A stone sink weighing 20–60 kg cannot travel in a cardboard box. Each finished piece is wrapped, cushioned in foam, and screwed into a custom wooden crate built to its exact dimensions. Shipments are fully insured, and we send worldwide on DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) terms wherever possible — meaning duties and import fees are handled by us, and the price you approved is the price you pay.
| Stage | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Block selection | Quarry grading, vein-matching plan | 2–4 days |
| 2. Cutting & rough shaping | Bridge saw, silhouette, drain layout | 2–3 days |
| 3. Hollowing & carving | Basin hollowed, flutes and details carved by hand | 1–2 weeks |
| 4. Finishing & sealing | Grit-by-grit sanding, honing or polishing, sealing | 3–5 days |
| 5. Crating & shipping | Custom crate, insured DDP freight | ~1 week in transit |
End to end: about 3–4 weeks from approved drawing to delivery for most destinations.
What "one of a kind" actually means
We want to be precise about this, because it is both the appeal and the honest caveat of natural stone. Your sink will match the design drawing exactly — dimensions, drain position, finish. What it will never match exactly is a photograph of a different sink, because the veining came out of a different part of the mountain. For subtle stones the variation is gentle; for dramatic ones it is the whole show. That is why we send block photos for approval on boldly veined stones, and why a hand-carved stone sink ages into a signature rather than a fixture. If you are weighing formats, our marble vessel sink and custom marble sink guides show how the same process adapts to different designs.
Commission your own block
Every piece we make follows this exact process, whether it is a catalogue design or something drawn from scratch. Send us your dimensions, stone, and finish, and we will reply with a drawing and quote before any stone is cut — then keep you updated with photos from selection to crate. Start a custom order here.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a hand-carved marble sink take to make?
About 3–4 weeks from approved drawing to delivery: a few days for block selection and cutting, one to two weeks of hollowing and hand carving, several days of finishing and sealing, and roughly a week of insured transit.
Is a carved sink really made from one solid block?
Yes — each basin is cut, hollowed, and carved from a single block of stone, with no seams, joints, or glued panels. That is why small surface marks can be buffed out of the stone itself years later, and why each piece's veining is unique.
What does DDP shipping mean for my order?
DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) means we handle export, freight, insurance, and import duties, so the price you approve at ordering is the final price. Sinks travel in custom-built wooden crates with foam protection, fully insured.
Can I see my stone before the sink is carved?
For boldly veined stones like Calacatta Viola we photograph the actual block face and vein-matching plan for your approval before cutting, so you approve the real veining your sink will carry — not a stock image.
