Blows the two hand carved ones I did yesterday and today away! I took lots of pics to post in the dark room to show some people how to hang 900lbs of marble on the wall!
I will post mine on Thurs in the darkroom, gotta caulk and seal it tomorrow then take some final pics.
I am not sure about the hours involved. the concave area was shaped with a makita, stones etc, but all the honing and polishing was done by hand, no power tools. they made a block from a 2x6 that matched the curve, then sanded up and down the legs by hand, a lot of work. with powder tools you'd get a really wavy ripply finish. Its pretty similar to sanding a car body.
the tall fireplace is called Giallo Sienna, we have had it for 20 years and sad to say the last 3 slabs are spoken for. I dont think this stuff exists anymore. we made a round dining table to match.