i think its a beautiful stone and what we were planning to get, but couldn't find anything in stock in the colors we wanted- as you know it has a lot of color variation. I think its fine to use- hadn't heard anything negative about it.

I have only good things to say about CE. We have had it for almost three years in our kitchen. No stains, cracks or any other problems, besides being great to look at everyday.

That is the granite I plan to get, if I can ever find a slab in the pretty light green I am looking for. I keep finding much darker greens, nice with white cabinets but I have dark cabinets, and light gray-green slabs, much grayer than I want. I have a sample of the darker green, and have tested it. No etching with a slice of lemon left on overnight. Mustard, spaghetti sauce and strawberry jam left on to dry in place for 2-3 days, no staining. Since water did not soak in, the sample piece might have been sealed, although it might not, since it came from the granite warehouse, not the fabricator. The only thing I have heard is that it is more difficult to fabricate because of lots of fissures and it has more of a tendency to break prior to install. If you don't buy it yourself and provide it to a fabricator as a customer supplied material you should be all set. I would assume, as my fabricator told me, if yours breaks it he/she will replace it. Once installed and properly supported, it should be fine as a counter top. I would not stand on it. Some stones are more difficult to work with as I understand it, but that is a fabrication problem and not anything to do with it being a good counter top. Want to ask people to see theirs and reinforce your decision? I just love looking at photos of CS/CE (Esmeralda/Smeralda). I just wish I could find ONE photo of the light, bright green version with really dark stained cabinets, which is what I plan to do.

Sue

CE was my first choice for our island, but the slabs tend to be smaller and it simply was not to be.

Several forum members have it and are universally pleased- it doesn't stain, etch or show fingerprints! and is generally a workhorse.

I still dream of a stunning slab- light green a la Sue's dream stone- with creamy veins and shots of crimson!

The only complaints I have heard is that the slabs tend to be small and that the color is very inconsistent (one month the slabs will look horrible, another month nice, another month darker, etc.). When I was looking everything had huge black or huge white slashes. I went to about 5 huge granite yards, driving all over the place. But that was then. They are apparently into a nicer part of the quarry again.

Ours was installed about six weeks ago - no problems so far. We have an L. I had read some of the same things about it being a weird stone, but when I talked to the fabricators it turned out one of them has had it in his own home for a few years and he loves it.

Sue_ct, I'm glad to hear you found a fabricator at last. Good luck finding the slab of your dreams...

I used CE all through my house. We found enough in a soft color to use in the kitchen and fireplace surrounds. One darker slab was used in the MB. We find it is a lovely stone to live with. We never tire of it. Our slabs did have some black veins, however my fabricator cleverly cut the stone to avoid them. There are times during the day that it looks like a dress grey flannel jacket color, and others it goes to a soft green we love it's variety.

It has proven to be a strong stone when treated with the usual respect you give all granites. I can recommend it to anyone interested in this stone. Slabs can be small and it can vary alot, so shop around or be patient for new deliveries if you have the time.

We have just purchased slabs of Costa Esmerelda granite for our kitchen countertops, including an island, its absolutely beautiful, but we are having a really hard time picking out flooring tiles for our kitchen. Our cabinets are dark cherry, it must co-ordinate with an adjoining family room, which has some cherry flooring. Both rooms are painted a pale sage green. Any help would be appreciated!