So you didn't actually personally pick your slabs? Have you spoken with your fabricator? Did you approve the template laid out on the stone before cutting? Did you see the vein then?

I think it looks great! I imagine that if you were after a completely spotted, non-random look it would bother you. How often do you stand at that angle and see it running like that? I'm not sure it would bother me because it's so pretty...vein and all!

Thanks breezygirl,
In answer to your question. Live and learn. When I selected the granite, someone else was selecting the same slab as well. The granite yard said it would be 1st come 1st served. I then said that I would not want veins in it, and they assure me that the whole lot would look the same. They did say that if I wanted to come back when the fabricator picked up the slab they were happy to have me come back.
My fabrication date bounced around a little bit (waiting on a cooktop), I called to make sure that they would save it for me, which they did. Based on the fact that they told me that the lot looked all the same, I was good with it. I did remember last week their offer, but thought that I didn't need to go. Also I have to admit to that I got a little kitchen weary and thought that I should chill a bit.

The fabricator did not offer to have me approve the layout of the templating on the granite, and I did not think to ask.

However, it might have even been present in the slab I looked at and I might have missed it. It just runs for about 4 feet, but it kind of fades in and out a bit. So at this point I can't honestly say whose mistake it was.

It is the only vein in the kitchen, and the rest of the granite is fairly regular.
The funny thing is that I have surf green in the bathroom and it is very irregular, and even has blotches of pink and blue (though only on one side of the sink) and I am in love with it. I begged to get the leftovers from another slab and said I would be happy with whatever part I got. So I was prepared.
I think this is just my perfectionism coming out, because the kitchen was such a huge purchase. Do you think I will grow to love it?

You asked for help in stopping obsessing about an almost-invisible act of mother nature in a beautiful piece of granite that is in your expensive, soon-to-be-fantastic kitchen. I seriously, seriously contemplated posting, with absolutely no snark intended, pictures of malnourished children to provide some perspective. I decided, however, that I could not, in this medium, convey exactly the right tone, nor to adequately acknowledge that I am as "guilty" as you, nor to assure you that I understand how frustrating it is to do everything right to try to get everything perfect and yet get blindsided by unexpected turns of events.

I think your granite is just gorgeous. I sincerely hope you grow to adore it.

Your granite is showing you mother nature at its best with the gorgeous colours and pattern. It is also showing you mother nature and all its foibles. If you wanted perfection you should have gone with laminate or sile/ceasar stone. You probably picked granite because of its imperfections. When the sun shines on mine and I see another little mother nature foible I point it out to people because it is just so cool to see it.. Granite, for me, is the neatest thing going. JMHO

Enjoy mother nature!

If you wanted perfection, there are plenty of fake materials - corian, laminates, etc.

I think it looks beautiful, a conversation piece. Imagine the history of that stone. perhaps 200 million years ago there was a volcano that deposited the igneous rock. And perhaps there was an earthquake that caused the discontinuity... a record of earth's history, the wonder of nature, all on your kitchen countertop :)

Thanks everyone!!

I knew that you all would be able to help me gain perspective on this. This is perhaps the greatest extravagance I have ever splurged on, so I wanted to do it "right". Thanks everyone for helping me to adjust my mindset to see what a gift it is that I can have this stone in my kitchen. I'll love it forever.

Take a gander at my surf green bathroom vanity top. I am so in love with this stone!

Now that, is one pretty stone. You are lucky to have them both in your home. ENJOY!

I hope you are at the stage of obsessing about everything that happens in the kit, everyone does. I think you eventually will not even notice as I had to look really hard to see what you are referring to. Think of your stone as a natural occurring product.

i agree with everyone.. that's why you get granite, to get variations and quirks, if you will. if you wanted perfection, you would have gotten a man made material..

personally, i like the vein, it gives the stone more character.

relax, enjoy mother nature's handiwork :)

I really like the vein because it's quite subtle. I think it reminds me (or, hopefully, you :) of the millions of years that went into creating this one-of-a-kind chunk of rock. That's history, right there! It's lovely. Embrace it.

So many of these comments are great, especially Angie.
Please enjoy your stone. It probably about 40 million years old and it's beautiful.

I understand what it's like to obsess over everything for which you plunked down hard-earned cash. Initially I hated every piece of my kitchen because it didn't live up to my idea of perfection.

Had you not pointed out the vein I wouldn't have noticed it. And since when are veins not good things? Relax, it looks beautiful.

'Had you not pointed out the vein I wouldn't have noticed it. And since when are veins not good things? '

w/o the detail in pointing it out I wouldn't have seen it either. I looked and looked before I read your directions to it... then I find it's a stretch to still see it.

veins are a good thing., w/o them we wouldn't be alive.

I totally get your obsession as I went through my backsplash one! You are not petty or small minded, you spent a ton of money, asked that you not get any veining in your slab and low and behold you did. So yes, there are starving children and as my coworker said when I was stressing about my backsplash, at least you still have your mom(she just lost hers and it was just awful) but this is currently your world right now and you have every right to be sad, frustrated, obsessed, whatever. Sorry but this is a kitchen website everyone, not a "get over it there are bigger life problem "website.

You will get over this and grow to love your stone but in your own time as I did with my back splash, I promise. But don't let anyone make you feel a bit of guilt over it until you do! Just my probably very unpopular two cents!

Ds945, I so much enjoyed your question / concern, and appreciated how it invites other granite owners to ponder mother natures art.

But, I chuckled as I just got done spending about an hour washing down my backsplash after its 2nd grouting, and in so doing I saw every imperfection, each one making me want to rip it out and start over.

I have so appreciated posts that acknowledge we all want perfection given the costs and image in our mind, but it doesn't exist. This thread was just the read I needed.

Hope peace comes soon.

I can relate. When I went to pick out slabs, there were 3 and I needed two. One of the slabs had a near perfect replica of Jay Leno's chin right in the center...or it could have been an evil clown smile. Either way, I told the yard that that particular slab would be a deal breaker for me if it ended up in my kitchen!

Luckily, my contractor had me there for every step of the process and Jay Leno is in someone else's kitchen.

But, honestly, every natural product will have it's quirks...that really is the beauty of it. Some are worth losing sleep over, most are not. Figure out if it is so much of a big deal to cause a stink over...or if it's a minor deal and you will laugh about it later and move on. You did spend alot of money on that granite and you should be happy with it.

Your granite (all of it) is lovely~

I can't figure out why everyone else's stuff is so very perfect, yet my stuff has mismatched grout lines (MBR. Yes, really, really bad and obvious), or my hardwoood floor has gaps between the boards, or on and on.

Then I realized it's because I'm not looking for imperfections in others' things. I'm just appreciating.

[inset bullhorn voice here] STEP AWAY FROM THE GRANITE. [end bullhorn voice]

Stand up straight and take your nose away from the stone. Step back one step. Turn on your normal lights, not flash bulbs.

Hon, I couldn't really see it even with your directions. I agree that you asked for no seams and if you see them, they're there. And not what you asked for. However, from this strangers POV? How lovely it is.

I don't, however, agree with the blithe "you'll laugh about it later" type statements. That's like telling someone God only gives you what you can handle, or all that type of hoo-ha.

Now, 20 years later, I still remember how the woman making our wedding rings told us that "we'd laugh about it" when we didn't care for the pitting in the gold, nor the fact his looked like a bib washer.
When, in my deadly calm voice, I told her in 20 years we'd still hate them and remember that we got them at the Goldmine, she dropped the condescending, pre-wedding brush-off. We bought something off the shelf.

So you might not laugh about it, but I also agree you probably will have to look hard yourself to see the seam. It's such a beautiful stone.