Tuff (from the Italian tufo) is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during avolcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered tuffaceous.

The products of a volcanic eruption are volcanic gases, lava, steam, and tephra. Magma is blown apart when it interacts violently with volcanic gases and steam. Solid material produced and thrown into the air by such volcanic eruptions is called tephra, regardless of composition or fragment size. If the resulting pieces of ejecta are small enough, the material is called volcanic ash, defined as such particles less than 2 mm in diameter, sand-sized or smaller. These particles are small, slaggy pieces of magma and rock that have been tossed into the air by outbursts of steam and other gases; magma may have been torn apart as it became vesicular by the expansion of the gases within it.

Tufa stone is a type of limestone which forms in close proximity to bodies of water with a high content of dissolved minerals, especially calcium carbonate. There are a number of uses for tufa, ranging from construction to artwork.

A number of factors can contribute to the formation of tufa. In many cases, minerals build up along a shoreline as a result of repeated depositions from waves. Tufa stone can also form when extremely hot water from a spring enters a cooler body of water, encouraging the dissolved minerals from the spring to precipitate out, and tufa formations commonly appear as bodies of water dry up, move, or recede.

This stone tends to be soft and extremely porous. The porous nature of tufa makes it very popular for planters, as it will easily drain, rather than trapping water. Tufa can also be used as a sculpture medium, and it is used by some jewelers as a casting medium. To cast with tufa stone, jewelers and other metalworkers carve the desired shape into the rock, commonly forming a two-piece mold, and then pour hot metal into the mold. Although tufa is soft, it can handle high heat, so it will not crack or distort when used as a mold.

In areas with large natural deposits of tufa, the stone has also historically been used as a building material. Some constructions made with tufa stone are quite ancient, especially in desert regions, where the arid conditions have prevented erosion of the tufa and the mortar used to cement it together. Tufa constructions are also sometimes decorated with interesting carvings and inlays, some of which manage to endure the test of time.

In construction, tuff being a light material can be useful, especially for Exterior and Interior walls claddings, sculpture and monuments, Carnations and decorative articles. Tuff comes in various colours; Orange, Peach, Pink, Beige-Green, Black, Brown, Violet and Yellow. Tuff mostly has a variation in it’s colours and normally tends to go from Dark to Light or Light to Dark even the gradation can go to almost black.

Create a series of object from Tufa Stone. Apart from restoring pieces, we also make fireplaces, tables, columns and bookcases and now propose a new series of objects from the home. The material used by us is the same as that found throughout the historical centre of the city of MATERA, which has recently become part of the UNESCO world patrimony for the fascinating constructions carved out of the rock, one on top of another: TUFA STONE.