I googled and found one site that labeled this a quartzite...

Does anyone know anything about this stone? It's beautiful IRL!

Thanks! I just found that countertop geology thread and posted there.

Can anyone help? How can I figure out if this is really a granite or not?

Hi Pippiep,

I can't really tell from the photos. It could be black marble, it could be soapstone, or it could be granite. I googled some photos of it and different photos look like different rocks.

My best advice is to go back to the countertop geology thread and check out the first post on how to do the scratch test. If it scratches glass it's neither soapstone nor marble. I don't think it's quartzite as I have never seen a black quartzite.

If it does scratch glass it is likely a rock called migmatite, aka "mixed rock." Part metamorphic, part igneous (the white bands which are quartz). In the world of countertops, this would still be called granite, because, like, why use real rock names when you can just make up any old name and keep things exciting? :)

Good luck! Let us know what you find.

We just put this in our house.... It actually is my favorite (and that beats my swoon worthy marble in the kitchen ;). It was marked as granite from the stone yard. We saw both polished and leathered... My husband liked it polished better (I loved the leather) but as this is his bar in the basement, polished it is.

@karin_mt -- Thank you!! I bought a glass tile that I can take with me tomorrow to test it out. If it does scratch glass and is a migmatite, would that make it any less durable than granite (in terms of staining, scratching, etc.)? Do I need to be concerned about the white bands? Would I need to seal this counter?

@foolnt8 -- My husband far prefers polished granite, but I just can't do it. I need a matte finish, and he's willing to compromise, if I'm willing to go for something less plain. I hope we can make a decision tomorrow!

I brought a glass tile with me also when looking for stone, worked great. I would also bring something sharp with you to see if you can scratch the surface. Try scratching the dark and the light surface too. I have a tiny little knife on my key ring that worked great and very inconspicuous!

Pippiep,

Definitely test both the black and the white parts. The white veins are either quartz (which is no problem) or calcite, which is soft and will etch. If it's migmatite then it will be pretty bulletproof. My hunch is that it would not need sealing, but that's a total guess. You can always try it without sealing and see how it holds up.

Thanks! I'm still waiting on pricing; we might be priced out of this one. I hope to get the estimate today, so I don't drool over it just to be broken-hearted! (Again... I already fell in love with something that turned out to be slate. I fell for that one, hard. It was perfect.)

ETA: I've already gone through them before, but am re-reading your geology threads again! They are fascinating. I loved earth science when I was in middle school; it was my favorite subject!

Thanks Pippiep! Yay for rocks! Good luck searching. It can be agonizing!

pippiep - curious why you ruled out the slate you fell in love with. We have slate, installed by previous owners. It is matte black with white veins. We have lived with it for 12 years without staining or etching. I love it! I looks very much like soapstone. What are your concerns with slate?

From what I understand, slate is even softer and more delicate than soapstone, which we are already iffy about.

Update: there was no rough edge to test, but my husband didn't like it as much as the leathered Via Lactea. Still waiting on pricing, but it sounds like it was the most expensive out of the slabs I liked, so we're passing on this one! We reserved three slabs of Via Lactea, and I will go back during the week to have them move them so I can choose two (pic is not of our cabinet style, but it is the stain; is lighter IRL).

Have you seen Virginia Mist granite? In the satin finish - it's gorgeous. A great alternative to soapstone. We are considering it.

I thought we'd end up with Virginia/Jet Mist when I first started reading about it here, but neither of us liked the slabs we saw. They were very, very speckled.

Here is a slab we are considering. (we need two)

http://www.tmsupply.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=660

That looks nice -- darker than the ones I've seen around here. Are those holes near the bottom?

We recently purchased and upgraded to the Belvedere granite because of the beautiful designs. I am very disappointed with it. It scratches very easily and chips. I have been told that due to the designs, some spots may be softer than others, and "it's stone, and stone will scratch." I understand it's stone but apparently I have a "sensitive" counter. I have been careful and am putting pads/towels down when I use it, but come on...I shouldn't have to. No matter how careful I am, I am still finding scratches and even chips. Everyone that I've talked to who has granite is shocked and say they really use their granite counters without worry. Anyone else out there having issues with this particular granite?

Isn't Belvadere a granite??? It's should be very robust. How about some photos of yours.

Here's is my kitchen. Wondering if this Belvadere would look good in mine?

Jason7370...I am in the process of building is there anyway I could get you to email me some closeups of your countertops? The cocoa brown Corian with linen cabinets is what I am looking at. Thank you!

leightonsmommy18@gmail.com

I have been looking to buy a piece of belvedere ...it is granite - see the pisani web site - I have been to view it...its lovely - your countertop doesn't look like it to be honest. It looks like a black marble with white and goldie brown veins running through it. If anyone knows where I can get an off cut for a fire surround please let me know!!