I don't have white cabinets but I have brushed steel gray granite.

To me it would look great with the second pic. Just like the ones here of vinmarks. Looks great with all hardware on the cabinets. What color and type of flooring did you choose? Does your flooring and other fixtures help enhance the look?

Ken

Bri Bosh that is beautiful! Love the white veining. ILoveRed Love that farm sink! I haven't heard of that granite yet - thank you!

Dyan..I have the same sink in my new house. It’s a great sink to bathe grand babies in, lol!

I looked at this stone (honed virginia/jet mist) for my kitchen and really loved the look, but I stayed away after I realized the oil from my hands left obvious marks. I went the other way and am putting in monte cristo leather. How do those of you who have similar stone, feel about the maintenance? I really like the dark countertop look.

Amy Stottlemyer - I decided on Black Pearl Leathered. I've done a lot of reading about it and it sounds like there are no fingerprints at all and it is very family friendly. I think there is a big different with that as far as honed VS. leathered. I like dark counters too. I don't want white everything! Also, my black pearl leathered comes with a 10 year sealer.

my black pearl leathered comes with a 10 year sealer.

Black Pearl granite should not need any sealer. It's like you are taking one of the big advantages of granites like Black Pearl - that they don't need sealer - and paying for something they not only don't need but has a good chance to mar its appearance. Be careful about sealing a stone like Black Pearl - if sealer is applied to a dense stone that cannot absorb it, it will just sit on top and cause a haze and streaks.

Lots of posts from people with black pearl, blue pearl, absolute black, and some other very dense granites complaining that their supposedly carefree stone is hazy and has ghost stains. That's cause they applied sealer and it didn't absorb because those stones cannot absorb sealer. At least those people just used regular sealant that can be removed by acetone, so that they could bring their counters back to an unhazy appearance. I am not sure how "10-year sealer" can be removed.

If you have a compulsion to seal, then at least just use regular 511 sealant you can buy at Home Depot, which costs ~$15 and takes 3 minutes to apply, and which can be removed with acetone if a haze develops.

Why Sealant and black granites don't mix

Sealing Granite Counters

Oh my gosh Shannon - thank you so much for that info! I haven't ordered it yet so it is not too late! I will read this and appreciate the advice!

The charge on the quote for the 10 year sealer was $175.00!