Turkish marbles regain their popularity in US

Natural stone materials from Turkey, which were very popular among Hollywood stars such as Sharon Stone, Jennifer Lopez and Eddie Murphy for home decoration, have fallen out of favor due to the economic crisis in the U.S. As the effects of the crisis have begun to fade, however, the export of natural stone materials has increased, making exporters hopeful for 2015.

Turkey, which has one of the richest reserves of natural stone, has increased its exports five times in the last 10 years. Turkish natural stone, especially marble and travertine, is usually preferred in the construction of luxurious houses, including the residences of well-known figures in the U.S.

Additionally, Turkey's natural stone material exports have recovered due to China's demands for marble and travertine over the past few years. As China pulled some of its orders back last year, the stone sector lost 4 percent of its profits, but still made $2.128 in total. However, thanks to new orders received from the U.S., natural stone exports increased by 9 percent and surpassed $330 million from the U.S. alone.

The Aegean Mine Exporters Association, President Mevlüt Kaya, drew attention to the increase in luxurious residence construction following the economic recovery. He said that they have sold high quality products at good prices to the U.S. in the past, and this country played an important role in turning marble and travertine production into a huge market.

"Since the Chinese market has been purchasing a good number of our products for a while, it is normal for them to cut down their orders. In order to preserve its capacity, our sector was in search for new markets to sell its products," Kaya said. While the search continues, orders from the U.S. lighten the sector, and exporters hope to stir the U.S. market in 2015.

"This situation will cause prices to increase. Moreover, apart from the U.S., the Iranian market is also on the move since demands from international organizations in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are triggering it," Kaya added. He stressed that the exporters expect a recovery in the Chinese market in the second half of the year. Additionally, he underscored that they can easily archive the 2023 objective of $15 billion.