Hi Ginad,
I have black cambrian leathered granite on the perimeter and calacutta on the island. I LOVE the marble. I've been living with it for only 3 months and haven't really had to baby it although I would, it's worth a bit of babying! I have a pre-schooler who knows she's allowed to pour her own juice on the black stone, not the white stone, lol.
{{!gwi}}

Rookie....I love, love, love your kitchen! The black granite looks amazing with the calcutta gold! I didn't even think about doing a calcutta backsplash behind the stove, that looks great! I was planning on white subway tiles with a calcutta gold herringbone pattern behind the stove, but I like your idea better. Cut from the same piece of marble, so it coordinates perfectly. I am very fearful of the maintenance, we are big spillers, things like sauce and wine. Our island is very large, we use it for dining, we usually eat our meals there when it's just the four of us. I do love the marble, but I would be afraid to eat on it. Is it really hard to keep?

We are doing black andes antiqued on the perimeter cabs and calacatta gold on the island - perimeter cabs are white, island is espresso. It's not done yet, so I can't attest to how it holds up, but we did do testing on a sample of the marble and I was happy with the results.

Rookie - your kitchen looks yummy! I am drawn to your pendants - am trying to figure out my lighting situation. Would you mind sharing the dimensions of your island, height of your ceiling, and the size of the fixtures? I love the scale of them - I want larger pendants but not sure it will work with my kitchen. THANKS!

What do you use your island for? Is it for food prep, for eating or both? Just wondering, you are both going for the honed/leathered black granite, can I ask why you chose that rather then the polished. I have only seen the polished granite. Thanks!

Thanks Ginad and Mamabear!
The island is 4x6, the ceilings are 9', the pendants are 17Hx8w.
I don't find the marble to be difficult but I do wipe up spills immediately or as soon as I notice them (with 409 Stone Cleaner). I limited it to the island because I chose the leathered/antiqued granite (bulletproof!) for the perimeter so I do have plenty of space that I don't worry over at all. I use mine for food prep mostly. If you're not sure, get a sample and see what you think after beating it up. Honed marble that is sealed will etch but not stain easily. Polished marble shows etching much more than honed. Etches on honed marble are subtle.
Polished granite, especially black, can show finger prints and streaks more than other colors or finishes will. It's still a super classy look and I don't think you can go wrong with it. Honed black granite can also be difficult to keep fingerprint and streak free. Leathered granite is a slightly textured finish with a slight sheen. It shows very little streaks, fingerprints, etc. I really love it.

Most of the info I have comes from this site and the opinions of many of the users. However, you'll never know how something will work for you until you get a sample and start using it. Sounds like you're going to have a lovely kitchen!

Thanks rookie...my granite is being installed on Monday, I can't wait! I hope it's not too shiny. I may have to go with a honed or matte white subway tile to tone it down. I have a really pretty calcutta gold herringbone mosaic tile board from Artistic Tile. I am planning to use that behind the cooktop. I will post pictures once I get started (well-first I have to figure out how to actually post pictures :)...thanks!

I have river wash sea foam,(earthy green,black and greys with a touch of carmel) granite around the perimeter and calacutta on the island. I absolutely love it. Sure there are people that don't understand my choices, why did you mix surfaces, why did you pick marble etc..., but I don't really care. The overall effect is rich and natural. I don't care for polished granite and since the marble is honed the river wash stone is perfect. The calcutta has black, grey, and carmel tones - I love it. Two years later I have no stains, but expect plenty of etching on the marble. I'm not a fanatic anymore about cleaning up immediately, but I do keep an eye out for foods that might etch the island. I had a particularly bad episode with a bag of ripe peaches. I do also have a few chips out of the marble as it is fairly soft. Just make sure you seal the marble to prevent stains.

Thanks, Rookie - that is so helpful!

Ginad, I think it is just a matter of preference - I've always been a fan of matte surfaces vs. glossy, so these are just what spoke to me the most. I can't wait to see how your kitchen turns out - it will be great!

Thanks everyone! Right now my island, which is fairly large (10 ft x 3.5ft) is Silver Sea granite. If the Black Pearl coordinates as well as the guy from Stone Surfaces says it will, then I will leave the island alone. If, it does not make me happy, then I will change it to the Calcutta Gold. I will post pictures next week, soooo please take a look and let me know what you'all think!