Also - has anybody even seen Kashmir Ville next to River White? I have seen some River White online, but I can't find it anywhere to see it in person.

That's really pretty and very marble-esque. How about River White? The veins are more pronounced, but it is also gray and white.

Maybe you could find one with a honed or leathered finish so it would look even more like granite.

If you love Cararra don't rule it out. If you seal your marble properly it won't stain. It will etch but not stain. Cararra is beautiful and granite is beautiful but there are no granites that really look like marble. Cararra is also pretty reasonable.

Sorry - we crossed. I have never seen Kashmir Ville, but I've seen Kashmir White and River White. RW was, in fact, very common around here - everyone had it. Isn't it strange how that varies by region? The RW I found was very white and gray, but the gray areas were larger, and they tended to run horizontally instead of diagonally; KW's veins were more delicate.

It is funny how different it is among regens. My area is perticularly frusterating - most refuce to even entertain the idea of putting marble in kitchens. I'm prepared to deal with marble patina - hubby is not. I think it would both him to see something that cost so much $$ showing wear so easily.

Try Cristallo aka Polar Ice. Some if it, if you get a good slab, really looks like marble. Also Bianco Covelono (sp?) is supposed to be a slighly more durable marbl if you want to consider it.

With out considering more expensive quartzites which have been known to have some issues of there own for some owners while others have had no etching, there really is no granite that really looks like marble so instead of looking for a substitute, look for something that catches your eye and meets your needs in and of its own right. I tried looking for a marble like granite and was so hung up on finding one that look liked marble that I missed noticing ones that where lovely in there own right. I now have 7 year old marble... If you are looking for a granite that looks like marble you are setting yourself up to be disappointed so look for a granite that looks great with your other finishes. Good luck!

roarah is right. I think you can still go for the white/gray swoopy look, and you may prefer honed to polished, but don't expect to duplicate marble. I do think that keeping an open mind and looking at all the slabs that are actually available to you is the best way not to drive yourself crazy. If a slab is sold, don't fall in love, move on unless they can absolutely get another slab from the same batch. It is very hard to choose a slab based on a digital image, so unless they are willing to bring it in on spec, skip it. And as roarah said, really look at all the stone, not just the ones you think meet your criteria. You might be surprised at what you like. I know I was.

I used a very durable quartzite called Madre Perla for my island. It is very elegant looking and there are no issues with staining or etching.

Ours is white springs - similar to white river. Here's a pic - there is quite a bit of grey in this granite. I was in the same boat as you and I wanted more grey than pink tones. I hope this helps :)

[IMG]http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb391/ruthy1966/Finished%20Kitchen/IMG_0651.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb391/ruthy1966/Finished%20Kitchen/IMG_0655.jpg[/IMG]

Hmmmm - not sure why the pics aren't showing up. Haven't had any problems with this before :(

Here is a link that might be useful: