That's Mother Nature featuring black spots, not your fabricator. The edges of your seam appear to be slightly bruised, but it's not that bad.

Thank you for the quick reply! I didn't mean to suggest that the fabricator caused the spots. We don't understand why he'd make the tops so that these spots are in the most prominent locations.

It's in the stone, a birthmark if you will. The fabricator doesn't see it as an issue; he's used to seeing stone as a whole and not focused on a particular spot. We had a client that marked on the slab the precise corner she wanted to use for her island to follow her layout. At installation, she does not like what the other end of the island looked like. It's all relative, he likely did the best layout for the stone based on material.

For crying out loud it is natural stone kind of like your face it has little marks if you wanted perfect and all the same that is where quartz or corian come in . How many slabs did you buy for the job. Did you choose the slabs ?

Hello, we understand that marble is a natural material with veining, inclusions, etc. But we've never heard anyone praise the flecks or spots in marble. I'd imagine fleck fans choose granite. These appear to us to be blemishes or flaws. Would you select this "cremo delicato" for your client?

We are trying to assess whether we should try to have the seam repaired, and whether these spots (they are perfect rectangles elsewhere on the slab) would generally be viewed as undesirable flaws. It seems to us to be an example of a slab not at all representative of cremo delicato coupled with baffling fabrication.

To answer your questions, two slabs, which were selected by our designer. We would happily have bought three if advised to do so. We were not shown nesting photos.

Thank you.

For crying out loud it is natural stone kind of like your face

LOL! Speak for yourself!

Its true it is a natural material that has what some might consider flaws just like our faces with “beauty marks” freckles etc

Can we see a further back pic to get a look at the spots in context with the whole?

I think as @ghostlyvision requested, it would be helpful to see a wider picture of the entire counter to the spots in context. I'm not an expert, but the fabricator is potentially looking at the bigger picture when templating the slabs. They may be looking for seams to line up nicely or trying to highlight some feature or even trying to make sure they can cut all the necessary pieces out of the slab(s) you purchased. So there could be all sorts of reasons why the spots ended up where they did. I imagine you might have to pay for new countertops if you are unhappy enough to have them replaced.

I totally understand your deception with the dark spots on the marble...
Yes it is a natural stone and unique piece, but it is more than important to carefully pick the piece that you want. Some are more beautiful than other.
I don’t know if you can repair it in a nice way. Are the dots on one same area? If it’s the case, you could put your food cutting plate there ?
Can you exchange them ? Quartz is a mix a natural and men work and give much more of a consistent look with no dots...

If you didn't pick your slab then you get what you get. It is a natural material and those spots are not flaws.

I have Crema Delicata in my bathroom and I love it. I don't have any black spots. However, I selected the slabs myself and was very involved in the fabrication process. I went to the stone yard and we decided what was going where. I didn't have any runs longer than 6 ft, so if may have been easier because of that. That being said, I don't think there is much you can do about it now. It will become less obvious when things are on your counters. The seem doesn't look that great to me.

More concerned about the seam than the spots.

hey experts..is this seam acceptable?

I think it is not washed and that it will look tinner.

Do you have a picture of the entire counter from the top view ?

So the designer picked these slabs? Did she actually view both slabs? In person? You never saw them?? I have a problem w/that.

I just looked at a bunch of this type of marble. Looks like this. (did you, perhaps, get a deal on these slabs because they weren't 'clean' ??

As for the seam, it's unprofessional.

what's this circled part? is it natural in the stone, or did they chip or scuff it?

Also, the seam could be better. it's rather wide and not neatly cut.

let's see an overall picture

Thank you all for taking time to reply. We've thought this over and come to the conclusion we'll never be happy with the marble. I suspect very few designers would select this peppered slab for a high profile location. I've never heard anyone compliment the black spots in marble - they're neither cremo nor delicato.

We're exploring not very attractive solutions, including buying another slab for what is a long and very thin space. Using one slab, we won't be able to book match but that's unimportant to us as the soft, creamy look we want won't really feature the book matching.

I'll try to post additional photos of the marble we're removing

We should have gone to see the slabs in person and not relied on someone to select for us. We should have been involved in the fabrication process. Lessons being learned the hard way, but given the state of the world we're very fortunate to be able to worry about marble countertops.

We'll update this as we work the issue.

Thank you again.

I think you are making the right decision with the right mind set.
You will see your kitchen every day and you don’t want your eyes to always be directed to the dark spots which you do not like.
I am wondering if you can resell the marble slab to companies that cut marble to do cutting board for example or decorative plateau.

@das reingold As the person who has Crema Delicata counters I have a question. Is your counter top honed or polished. The black marks will be lessened with a honed finish, a will the etching. Just a thought for either now or the future. I would also recommend a different fabricator (if replacing), if that is the quality of the seams they do.

Hello Design Girl, and thank you for your comments.

Our tops are honed.

Not sure what to do about the fabricator; our general contractor works with them frequently, and they are capable of beautiful work. We've made it clear the seam quality is unsatisfactory.

To be clear, we did see photographs of the slabs, and given a sample, before selection.

Beth H, thanks you for your comments and photos! No deal on the slab, we paid full price at a leading marble provider for our major city.

I have personally protected some of this peppered marble. I suppose it is an aesthetic choice whether you wanted that or not, and by the comments, it seems as though it may have not been. Anywho, I wouldn't say it is necessarily a bad thing. To maintain that marble as a honed look, be sure to check us out if you do decide to keep it. We invented a product that keeps etching and stains away called TuffSkin. That seam definitely should be restored. That is no good. - Kyle

It would be helpful to see a picture from farther back. I have a similar honed marble in my master bathroom that has some specs. Really not noticeable unless you’re staring at it closely.