So long as it's polished, the darker the stone, the more dramatic the reflection will be. You oughta get a gander of Absolute Black or Black Galaxy! With good quality AB, you could almost use it as a mirror.

Just as an example, take a look at the Viet Nam Memorial. So many see so much in the "Reflections" of the Wall. :-)

Bill,
Thank you for posting such beautifully touching pictures. Makes me realize how insignificant my kitchin' bi***in' really is.
Elyse

As an aside, when undercabinet lights are as high above the counter as yours are the placement doesn't make much difference as far as reflections go. IMHO, your granite is beautiful - enjoy it! On the positive side, you can check your hair without having to go to the powder room :)

Elyse-- The top one, called "Reflections" (which was the reason for putting it in quotes above), I saw for the first time about 15 years ago. Since that time, I can't see that without welling up. Last Fathers Day, that was my present from my wife. I've now got a 24x30 print that hangs in my dining room. :-)

Ditto on the Black stones. I almost did a black - thought the choice was final and my family loved it. The next morning, I was really worried about the glare. I decided neither me, nor my kitchen were looked good enough to have that much glaring back at me. On some stones though the mirror image is breathtaking.

I love you stone - it is a beautiful contrast with your cabinets. Congratulations!!

RE the Viet-Nam Memorial - I live right here and have never been to see it. That's pretty shameful if you ask me, but I was really afraid to find names of some of my long lost friends there. I may grab the courage to go this summer. Let's face it, if they had the courage to go, then I should honor them by taking a visit.

gneegirl, you should go but going in the summer can be pretty bad due to the large number of people. I found that going at night was a good way for the first time particularly. Less crowded, differently intense. There are people there to help you find names at all times.

It IS a hard place to visit, especially if you had friends or relatives who died and are on the wall.

Bill those photos are amazing.

megaul- I have volga blue, too, and the funny thing is it seemed to reflect more to me before, and at this point, is really not an issue. The U/C lights are placed a few inches from the front of the cabinets, and with the backsplash tiles in, it is less glaring than when it was painted wall there.

Your photo made me do a double take, cuz I have almost exactly that set up! Small counter, then range, then small counter angled just like yours! And the same edging! (Nice granite!! :) )

Bill Amazing photos - we are off to DC tomorrow with our kids and now I need to remember to buy some flowers before we visit the wall. Those pics brought tears to my eyes.

Megaul, we have Maron Cohiba and it is very reflective as well. For the most part it doesn't bother me at all except in the late afternoon when the sun comes through the windows at just the right angle. If you stand in hte wrong place it can blind you.

OTOH it has the effect of also making the room look bigger as the reflections make the floating bar disappear:

{{!gwi}}

I love the Volga Blue. We have 2 slabs on hold for our new kitchen. Did they seal your granite?

Bill,

Thank you so much for posting those powerful photographs. And, what a moving gift from your wife that must touch you every day. The Memorial puts everything in perspective.

Beachcomber3, I'm really loving my Volga Blue. We got it from Innovative Stone (Stonemark) through Home Depot and it has the PermaShield finish which has a 15 year limited warranty. In fact, I have to call today and active my warranty. BTW, I couldn't have been happier with the install and the two fellows that did it. They were very professional, pleasant, and cleaned up meticulously after they were finished.