Marble (sivec) production in Prilep

If you are watching in the mountains you can notice that some parts are white. Then, you see many trucks coming from there with huge white blocs. So why? What is it?

Most of the territory of the region of Prilep municipality has various deposits of ore, mostly from non-metal products. Non-metallic raw materials that are exploited or were exploited before are: Feldspar, Diatomaceous earth, Marble and Dolomite, Granite, Disten, Quartz and Perlite.

The marble sites are numerous and varied, both in terms of quality and quantity. Important site is the mine Sivec which is situated ten kilometers away from Prilep. Saccharoidal marble from the locality "Sivec" have been used for the creation of works of art since ancient times, starting from the first until the fifth and sixth century of our era. This is illustrated by numerous sculptures, statues and columns found in ancient sites: Stibera, Heraclea, Stobi and others.

The Prilep quarry contains the highly desirable Sivec marble. This type of marble has been used in a number of prestigious projects including the construction of the Sheik Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi.

What is the Prilep’s Marble, the Sivec?

White Sivec, or Macedonian Bianco Sivec, is the commercial name for this fine-grained white dolomitic marble.

Nowadays, Sivec has been selected to give the characteristic, exclusive white appearance in many large well-known projects including hotels, palaces, commercial buildings, etc.

Sivec boast a homogenous form and a microgranular structure which generate a high demand for Sivec marble on the international market. The colour varies from pure white to white with dappled streaks of soft grey, depending on the grade of an individual block or slab. The sizes available: Blocks, slabs, cut-to-size. As Slab finishing you can have Polished, honed, sanded, brush-hammered and you can use this marble in Interior or exterior.

Who operates in the quarry?

In prilep “Fox marble company” entered into an agreement to operate a quarry in 2014.The agreement is for a period of 20 years with an irrevocable option to extend by the period for a further 20 years thereafter.

“Fox Marble” Holdings plc is a dimension stone company focused on Kosovo and Southeast Europe and is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM:FOX).

The company has six quarries under license and a further two quarries under operating agreements. The quarries hold a combined volume of over 300 million cubic metres of premium quality marble and decorative stone, currently being managed and developed by the Group's skilled Carrara-trained workforce.

As a conclusion, Prilep’s lands are rich, the Sivec is well-known and in large amounts. That’s why you can see marble almost everywhere in the city.

Bérénice Kermoal