Mosaic

There are two basic methods to mosaic work - the direct method and the indirect method. In the direct method, the pieces of material you are going to mosaic with, known as tesserae, are directly fixed top side up onto a base or substrate and then grouted. In the indirect method pieces are temporarily fixed top side down onto a removable base material. This is (then) cast in its final form and the temporary base material is removed to reveal the mosaic, top side up. The indirect method is most often used when the finished surface needs to be extremely smooth.

Mosaic by Veselinka Mclarnon 

Natural Stone

Includes everything from beach or river pebbles to marble, granite, slate and modern day stone tiles. They have a wide range of colors, textures and surfaces. Also included are semiprecious stones - turquoise, lapis lazuli, alabaster, quartz and agate.

Mosaic by RIley Greco

Ceramic Tile

• Unglazed: Commonly found as 1" or 3/4" squares stuck to a paper or plastic mesh. The color is uniform throughout the entire tile.
• Glazed: Includes wall and floor tiles, crockery, pottery, tableware and others. The color is a fired surface layer over a clay base. They are a rich source for color, pattern, and texture.
• more info http://www.inlandcraft.com/howto/mosaic/mosaic1.htmhttp://www.inlandcraft.com/howto/mosaic/mosaic1.htm