I know marble is softer than a lot of other countertop materials.. I'm not concerned with staining or etching (mostly b/c I have had a piece of unseald Carrara marble that I've used for 8 years and NEVER sealed-- it has developed a wonderful patina and has no stains at all).

My concern is in the stone's softness. One thing that worries me about the piece I have now is that the edge is covered i knicks and chips. That type of thing would definitely bother me.

I'm wondering if someone could let me know about how the different types of marble stack up as far as hardness is concerned. I've heard the vermont marbles are fairly hard.

Any thoughts on this? And for those of you who have had your marble for a while, do you have many chips? I'm particularly concerned about the area around the sink where people will be throwing things in there w/o looking (4 small kids here-- too short to see over the counter).

Thanks!