Italian Marble Oranges Celebrate Ages-Old Wedding Tradition

May 1, 2004--Since ancient times, weddings have been festooned with oranges and orange blossoms meant to represent the ideals of marriage – happiness, fulfilment, fertility and everlasting love.

And, while present-day wedding guests select gifts off the bridal registry, trendy gift-givers give the gift of marble oranges, extraordinarily lifelike Italian marble fruit sculptures that commemorate the centuries-old romantic wedding tradition.

"Our artisans in Italy insisted we put together a collection of marble oranges as a wedding gift idea," said Jessica Parise, co-owner of The Marble Fruit Company. "They told us the wedding history of the orange and we knew Americans would love to add a little European tradition to their wedding gift-giving!"

History tells that giving oranges and orange blossoms as a wedding gift originated in ancient China where they were emblems of purity, chastity and innocence. And, because the orange tree is one of the rare plants that blooms and bears fruit at the same time, it became the wedding symbol of fruitfulness and fertility.

During the time of the Crusades, the custom was brought from the East first to Spain, then to France, then to England in the early 1800's. Europeans embraced the tradition and The Marble Fruit Company has expanded on it by offering marble orange collections as the perfect wedding gift.

"We thought this charming tradition would be accentuated by our Italian marble oranges," said Samantha Martin, co-owner. "A collection of marble oranges is an ideal wedding gift – Italian marble art in the form of the fruit representing happiness and fulfilment and, they will last forever, just like their love!"

Marble fruit is unique because it is not mass-produced like other faux fruits. There are five Italian artisans who sculpt, paint and use a process to add texture to each individual piece therefore, not one piece looks the same as the next – just like real fruit. And, the prized white Carrera marble used to create the pieces is mined from the same quarries in Italy that supplied Michelangelo with the raw material to produce his outstanding sculptures ‘David' and ‘Pieta'.




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