Yes, that looks like calcite, beautiful but soft as h*ll. I would go with a USA made quartz. It won't be nearly as pretty but it will hold up well with heavy use.

It is gorgeous, but I wouldn't do it. I have marble in my master bath, but no way would I use it in the kitchen. There is beautiful quartzite the wears well. Even the granite now is not an all over busy but rather a flowing design that's very beautiful.

Well, thank you everyone for the feedback. Should've known something that good looking couldn't work :'( We ended up going with Vanilla Ice by Pompeii. Hope it looks good!

You will curse the day you ever put marble in your kitchen. We have it in two bathrooms and EVERYTHING makes a mark. It's just not worth it.

I feel the need to write a review on Calcite after reading this post when I was making my decision. It is an absolutely beautiful stone and looks wonderful in our kitchen. The first thing people say when they see our kitchen is how much they live the countertops. As far as staining, I have had 2 rings by the sink(took of the finish), but honestly you would never notice unless I pointed it out. Yes, you do have to keep the wiped down and be careful but not obsessive. I find it helpful that my husband and kids(boys 5 &7) don't leave behind a mess, they know to clean up after themselves. I have had the counters for 6 months and do not regret my decision what-so-ever!

Christina pictures please

My husband and I are both retired (No little ones) and are considering this for our Kitchen table top trying to duplicate this photo. Should I stay away from this? We do drink a lot of Red Wine!

I remodeled my kitchen in December 2017. I chose to have calcite countertops installed...I looked through 5 different granite, quartzite, marble warehouses and couldn't find anything I was in love with until I spied the calcite slabs. I was mesmerized, the stone is stunningly beautiful. My contractor had a devil of a time cutting my countertops from the slabs, but I paid a pretty price for them and he agreed to work with the calcite prior to purchasing the slabs. The countertops are gorgeous, real showstoppers. I wouldn't have been happy with anything else....believe me I tried to find another material I like as much, regardless of cost and couldn't. I am careful with them and use the plastic counter protectors next to my stove and am religious about immediately cleaning up water and spills. I have one very small etched spot near the sink but with all the crystal chunks shimmering and the swirls of color you'd have to hunt to find it. When pouring wine, juice, cutting lemons or using vinegar I do it over the sink or down in the sink to avoid the chance for splashes. I have a large, deep 10" sink to help minimize the chance for etching and dirty dishes are put in the sink, not on the counters. It's worth it to me to take the extra care....my kitchen is small and the entire renovation cost $20k including all new appliances (except frig) sink, faucet garbage disposal, solid hardwood flooring, glass tile backsplash. We did our own tear out to save a little money. However, I don't recommend doing a renovation right before the holidays...

Even though they’re gorgeous, you have to be willing to do the maintenance. If your family won’t wipe up spills and be super careful with sharp objects, save yourself the aggravation of constantly worrying about your countertop. Keep shopping.