Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold (also Jerusalem Gold or Jerusalem Grey Dark) is a historic Cretaceous limestone from the Quastel Hills west of Jerusalem — one of the most significant and oldest building stones in human history, with a characteristically mottled material signature in warm golden, creamy and cool grey tones. Frost-resistant even after freeze-thaw cycles and legally prescribed for modern new buildings in the city of Jerusalem — used for façade claddings, wall claddings, floor areas, stair installations and prestige interior and external architecture with a historic appearance and a millennia-old building tradition.
Petrographisch handelt es sich um einen kreidezeitlichen Kalkarenit der Levante-Karbonatplattform aus den Quastel-Hügeln westlich von Jerusalem im palästinensischen Westjordanland. Der Handelsname „Grey-Gold" fasst zwei aus derselben Formation gewonnene Farbgrade zusammen: Jerusalem Gold (warm cremegold) und Jerusalem Grey Dark (kühl-grau).
Limestone
Israel
2.645 kg/m³
Available as: Skirting, Paving slabs, Tiles and flooring slabs
Other trade names: Desert Beige, Desert Gray, JERUSALEM GOLD, JERUSALEM GREY DARK, Mitspe Ramon, Mitzpe Ramon, Ramon Gold Grey, Ramon Grey, Ramon Grey Gold
About Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold
Jerusalem Stone is among the historically most significant building stones of humanity. Since biblical antiquity it has been used without interruption in and around the city of Jerusalem for sacred, prestige and residential buildings — from the walls of biblical Jerusalem through the buildings of the era of King Herod, the masonry of the Western Wall and the architecture of the Dome of the Rock to the modern city. The significance of the stone for the identity of Jerusalem is so central that all new buildings in the city have had to clad their external façades with Jerusalem Stone since the 1920s — initially through regulations of the British Mandate period, later through Israeli municipal law — in order to preserve the uniform, warmly golden historic appearance of the city. This statutory building regulation makes Jerusalem Stone one of the few building stones worldwide whose use is architecturally mandatory, and underlines its cultural as well as historical singularity.
Geologically, Jerusalem Stone is a Cretaceous limestone of the Levant carbonate platform, formed around 100 million years ago on the floor of a shallow, warm tropical sea in the form of finely deposited lime mud and shell fragment sediments. Petrographically the stone is a calcarenite — a fine-grained carbonate sandstone consisting predominantly of microscopic shell fragments and skeletal remains of marine microorganisms. The quarries lie today in the Quastel Hills (Qastel Hills) west of the Old City of Jerusalem, in the Palestinian West Bank. The trade designation “Grey-Gold” covers two colour grades carried together commercially: Jerusalem Gold (warm cream beige to golden brown with brownish veining) and Jerusalem Grey Dark (cooler, ranging from blue-grey to charcoal grey) — both come from the same geological formation and are quarried in the respective colouring depending on the quarry position and the depth of the bed.
Visually, Jerusalem Stone is defined by an exceptionally mottled, cloudy and flowing look — the individual slab areas show a finely patterned mineral distribution with soft transitions between lighter and darker areas, occasional fossil inclusions and subtle ochre or taupe accents. The surface appears characterfully lively without being obtrusive — an intrinsic quality that has made the stone one of the most popular building stones of the eastern Mediterranean over centuries. The warm golden tonality plays particularly impressively under southern light and brings out the historically transmitted “golden” appearance of the city of Jerusalem — the English writer Israel Zangwill coined the epithet “City of Gold” largely on account of this characteristic material.
Technically, Jerusalem Stone is among the high-strength building limestones: bulk density around 2640 to 2650 kg/m³, compressive strength between 111.5 and 133.3 MPa, flexural strength of 9.4 to 11.2 MPa and a remarkably low water absorption of only 0.74 % in the Gold grade. Particularly remarkable are the compressive strength values after freeze-thaw cycles: 88.7 to 107.4 MPa — clear evidence of mechanical stability even under freeze-thaw loading and the basis of the stone's documented performance over millennia. Like all limestones, Jerusalem Stone is acid-sensitive and reacts to citric acid, vinegar or acidic cleaners with dull etching — this sensitivity has to be taken into account in bathrooms, kitchens and especially on external surfaces with pronounced acidic precipitation loading, and requires proper sealing.
In interior fit-out, Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold is a proven choice for Mediterranean, classically historicising and prestige architectures. Classic applications are floor areas in entrance halls and living spaces, wall claddings, stair treads, skirtings, window sills and bathrooms. The warm golden tonality harmonises with timber fittings, Mediterranean furniture styles and muted wall colours in earth tones, complemented by brass and bronze accents. Outdoors the stone is a historic classic for façade claddings, entrance areas, plinths, stairs and paving — the low water absorption and the demonstrably high frost resistance make it stable against weathering over decades in central European climatic conditions as well. For intensively used kitchen worktops, Jerusalem Stone is suitable only with reservations because of its acid sensitivity — anyone who accepts the characterfully ageing limestone aspect obtains a historically valuable working surface.
In stock
Current availability from our warehouse.
Loading slab images…
Technical data
Guide values for the stone type, taken from manufacturer and test reports. Natural stone is a natural product — individual batches and slabs can differ. For critical applications, request slab-specific test data.
Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold is available in a range of finishes. The finish affects appearance, feel and the care it needs.
Satiniert
Die Oberfläche wird gebürstet — weichere Minerale werden gezielt entfernt, es entsteht eine subtile Tiefe und mattes Erscheinungsbild. Besonders geaderte Kalksteine erhalten so eine charaktervolle Optik und Haptik. Die mattere Veredelung kaschiert kleine Ätzungen besser als poliert und ist alltagstauglicher für stark beanspruchte Innenflächen.
Getrommelt
Durch Reibung mit Gesteinszugaben und Wasser in einer rotierenden Trommel entsteht eine matte Oberfläche mit leicht angebrochenen Kanten und satinähnlicher Haptik. Wirkt natürlich gealtert. Geeignet ausschließlich für Wand- und Bodenfliesen, nicht für Rohplatten — Standardwahl für mediterrane und antikisierte Gestaltungskonzepte.
Care & fabrication
As a limestone, Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold is acid-sensitive, but technically — thanks to its low water absorption of 0.74 % and demonstrably high freeze-thaw resistance — it is an exceptionally robust representative of its material class. Indoors, use exclusively warm water with a pH-neutral stone cleaning agent for daily cleaning — acidic household cleaners, vinegar, citric acid descalers or other acidic substances cause dull etched patches that can only be reversed by professional re-polishing. Take up spilled acidic liquids promptly with clear water. The low water absorption gives Jerusalem Stone considerably more reaction time than softer Mediterranean limestones. Professional sealing after installation and every 2 to 3 years thereafter is recommended indoors and obligatory outdoors — it reduces water absorption further, protects against freeze-thaw damage and mitigates the absorption of pigments (red wine, coffee, olive oil). Outdoors, the avoidance of de-icing salt in winter has to be observed — chloride-free de-icing agents are the gentler alternative. Under acidic precipitation in urban locations, a slight patina can form over very long periods, which many architects accept as a welcome ageing effect in historicising buildings. In bathrooms and spa installations, water droplets should be squeegeed off after showering, since standing water on unsealed spots can lead to discolouration in the long term.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Jerusalem Stone legally prescribed in Jerusalem?
Since the 1920s — initially through regulations of the British Mandate period, later through Israeli municipal law — all new buildings in the city of Jerusalem have had to clad their external façades with Jerusalem Stone. The regulation serves to preserve the uniform, warmly golden historic appearance of the city, which has been shaped by this material since antiquity. This building regulation makes Jerusalem Stone one of the few building stones worldwide whose use is architecturally prescribed by law.
What is the difference between Jerusalem Gold and Jerusalem Grey?
Both come from the same geological formation in the Quastel Hills west of Jerusalem and belong to the same Cretaceous limestone. Jerusalem Gold shows a warm cream beige to golden brown tonality with brownish veining — the classic colouring dominant in historic buildings. Jerusalem Grey Dark shows cooler blue-grey to charcoal-coloured tones — a more modern variant frequently used in contemporary architecture. Both colour grades are quarried depending on the quarry position and the depth of the bed and can be combined in one application.
Is Jerusalem Stone suitable for external applications in central Europe?
Yes. The low water absorption of 0.74 % and the demonstrably high compressive strength even after freeze-thaw cycles (88.7 to 107.4 MPa) qualify Jerusalem Stone for demanding external applications in central European climatic conditions. It is used for façade claddings, plinth panels, stairs, paving and entrance areas. Given proper sealing and constructionally protected applications, the stone is stable against weathering over decades — its historic performance over millennia in Jerusalem itself is impressive testimony to this stability.
Is Jerusalem Stone suitable for kitchen worktops?
With reservations. The acid sensitivity to lemon juice, vinegar, wine and cola leads to dull etched patches on contact — a property typical of limestone that cannot be prevented by sealing. Anyone who accepts the characterfully ageing limestone aspect and the historic dignity of the material as a design value obtains an elegant working surface that ages in a lively way; anyone who wants a stain-free surface should prefer acid-insensitive hard stones such as granite or quartzite, or a corresponding engineered quartz material. The low water absorption of 0.74 % is an advantage over softer limestones, but the acid sensitivity remains.
Which applications are classic for Jerusalem Stone?
Jerusalem Stone is classically established for façade claddings, plinth panels, entrance areas, stairs and paving in Mediterranean and orientally inspired architectures — from prestige residential buildings through sacred buildings to public squares. Indoors, floor areas, wall claddings, stair treads, skirtings and bathrooms are proven applications. The historic building tradition makes Jerusalem Stone particularly suitable for sacred architectures, synagogues, churches, mosques and for restoration projects on historic buildings.
Which slab formats are usual for Jerusalem Stone?
Standard large formats typically lie between 240 × 130 cm and 280 × 160 cm at thicknesses of 2 cm and 3 cm. Through ROSSITTIS, special thicknesses (1 cm for lightweight wall claddings, 4 cm and more for stairs) as well as skirtings, tile formats and terrace slabs can also be sourced. Please enquire directly about specific dimensions — as a historically transmitted building stone, Jerusalem Stone Grey-Gold is regularly in stock at ROSSITTIS.
