A synthetic, moulded stone prepared to imitate the appearance of marble. One type of artificial marble, called Marbelite, is made by heating potassium alum in water then adding 10% heavy spar and marble dust (Brady 1971). Another type of artificial marble, called Exsilite, is made by fusing grains of silica and pigments to form a slab that simulates onyx marble. Artificial marble is one historic technique for decorating architectural surfaces. Other techniques besides artificial marble are scagliola, stucco marble, stucco lustro and marmorino. See also: artificial stone. Synonyms: Marbelite; Exsilite. Brady (1971); Wittenburg (1999); Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (2000). [J. Cassar, R. de Angelis]