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Rock of Ages

Unlike its compelling glowing range, luxury stone supplier Antolini is less translucent about the costs associated with its products’ use, but there’s no getting away from the fact that agate can leave a strong impression, especially when it’s used at scale. Discovered in Sicily by the philosopher Theophrastus around the 4thC BC, it’s been used in jewellery and art pieces ever since- it even formed the main body of the ‘Holy Grail of Valencia’; a ‘fake news’ chalice fashioned in the time of Christ. Whether this (real?) hotel was aware of that when it installed it isn’t known; but there was certainly plenty of room at the inn for the agate.

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