I'm with Jewel654, have you looked at the porcelains? Here is a few that I was looking at. I went with the large one shown here in the center. Thats a pan of snow. The large tile is called Atlas Concorde, Marvel Calacatta Extra, and is from Italy. I chose the matte finish, and this sample is matte. I bought it through Nebraska Furniture Mart. They were very helpful and gave me a discount as well. The other tiles shown are a variety of other tile samples. The tile is ever so slightly warm and looks beautiful with my walnut vanity and woodwork in the bathroom that I finished this past summer:

I'm not sure if jet mist is the same, but here's mine in brushed finish. I have to admit that I do baby it a bit based on reports that etching is possible, but overall, we have been happy with the finish. This post was edited by goldengirl327 on Thu, Apr 11, 13 at 12:20

I wouldn't count on those rocks being similar, since so many slabs labeled as quartzite are actually marble. Romy is correct, you have to get a sample of the exact rock you want, and test it as much as you can. Then you can make your decision based on your own observations, which will definitely help with the confusion. Good luck!

Hi Kateskouros, I think it's a lovely idea as the honed tends to lose some of it's drama of the veining and the backsplash would be a great place to show it off! I think I saw early pics of your slabs and they are beautiful! One thing to think about, our polished countertops have been in now for 5 months and still look fabulous, even have stood up to spills that I thought it wouldn't. Now, we have an etch or two, but they are small and nearly impossible to find. We used a polished marble backsplash tile - Thassos and I put a different sealer on it than is on the counters. Remember, on the backsplash, you can use something that is more durable and not necessarily food safe because you aren't going to prepare your food right on it. The sealer we used sits a bit on the surface, I would not have liked on the counters because it takes away a bit of the glorious marble feel. I don't care on the backsplash a bit and it makes everything wipe off beautifully! As for stains or etching on the backsplash, we don't have either. Good luck! I can't wait to see your end result because so far your selections sound lovely!