Many of the products offered by Tureks A.S. of Afyon, Turkey, capture the essence of an Old World style. The company, which opened its operation in 1982, is a quarrier and manufacturer of Turkish travertine and marble. With a large stoneworking facility in Turkey as well as a U.S. sales office in Fairfax, VA, (also known as Marble Systems) Tureks takes extensive measures to insure high-quality products for its consumers worldwide.

The company's quarries span across numerous locations, and the materials produced vary in types and technical properties. Among the stones extracted from these sites are Golden Sienna, Walnut Dark, Ivory, Luna Stone, Sylvester Beige, Crema Bella and Onyx White.

Tureks operates a large fabricating plant, which sits on a significant piece of land. Inside the facility, an assortment of state-of-the-art machinery is used to produce a number of stone collections that target the high-end residential and commercial markets. Among the equipment in operation are six Pedrini tile lines, several gangsaws, block cutters, and complete mosaic, molding and tumbled lines. Additionally, large cranes are on site to move blocks, which have been transported from the quarries.

Investment in its employees is just as important to Tureks as its machinery. It takes the hands of skilled artisans to create the detailed mosaics and other patterned stonework. It is this attention to detail that creates such elegant products. The company offers a variety of tile sizes, slabs and cut-to-size pieces, and first introduced cross cut travertine to the U.S. in 1985.

The newest series in Tureks stone collections is Seashell from the company's brand new limestone quarry. The material is available in three shades ranging from light beige to darker tan, and can be produced in rectified, tumbled, honed and polished finishes. For projects looking to replicate an Old World, Mediterranean feel, the Alea collection offers brushed stone with a smooth antique finish and gently rounded edges, which according to Tureks, enhances the material's natural color and texture. Additional product lines include Terra - a range of tumbled travertine - and Talya - an assortment of tumbled marble.

Principal markets for the company include the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Asia. One way that Tureks promotes its products is by attending exhibitions around the world. In fact, the company was awarded “Booth of the Year” at Coverings in Orlando, FL, in 2001.

Tureks' products have been used in some notable projects, including Trump Plaza in Manhattan - one of the world's most luxury apartment complexes - where polished and filled vein cut Ivory travertine was employed as well as custom-fabricated vanity tops. For the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas, Tureks' furnished over 30,000 square feet of Golden Sienna Patika tiles for the resort's exterior patio and pool deck. And the most recent installation for the company included more than 100,000 square feet of Alea Ivory tiles, steps and hand-carved pieces for Merrick Park in Miami, FL, a luxury retail complex with shops, restaurants and offices.