I came across this stone when I was shopping a year+ ago and it was labeled as a quartzite. It was called something different though...can't remember what they called it but I remember it being two or three price levels above my calacatta quartzite. Test, test, test to be sure!!

Edited to add: I think maybe they called it Crystal Quartzite.

This post was edited by lcskaisgir on Wed, Feb 4, 15 at 16:55

Thanks for the reply! I just received the price per square ft -- wow, is it pricey. It's $80 a square ft versus $42 a square ft for the Perla Venata. But it's so much more unique ... ugh. I have been to virtually every stone yard, seen slab upon slab --- maybe I'm just incredibly picky. The Perla Venata is very nice, neutral, and has more depth than the man-made quartz (Compac Carrara) -- my choice if I use quartz, but the "Snow White" quartzite that can be back lit is just more "special" to me. I am going to test it --- but I only have the polished version to test, they didn't have a brushed version sample. I'll post a pic of the slab of Perla Venata ...

Oohhh, that Perla Venata is gorgeous! I don't think you could go wrong with either. Pictures definitely don't do them justice though. I remember that "snow quartz" quartzite having so much character in person. Counters were such a hard decision for me! I considered every white quartzite I could find. I loved them all!

I don't have any info but wanted to comment that both those slabs are beautiful.
I hope they pass!

Thank you! The countertop has been my hardest choice so far in my remodel. I have been desperately looking for information on "Snow Quartz" quartzite, but it must be a name that the stone yard gave it, because I can't find anything. I'm hoping someone here knows what it is.

So far, it cut glass, and didn't stain from ketchup, olive oil, or soy sauce. I don't have any lemons to try, but I'm going to try vinegar next.

Here's a picture of the polished version of the "Snow Quartz" which is the same as the sample I'm testing.

That is absolutely stunning. And did I see you say you were going to back-light it??

I remembered what my stone yard called it...Iceberg Quartzite! This is a pic of one of their slabs. The coloring is a little off in my pic, I don't think it's quite as beige as it looks here.

I too have been to every stone yard from Stuart to Miami in south Florida! Still having trouble finding the perfect quartzite. Just checked with Marble of the World in Ft. Lauderdale and they didn't have the snow quartz in the size i need - but it is stunning! Where did you find the perla venata? the ones I have seen are too beige - I am looking for gey and white- any suggestions? Much appreciated!

That looks very similar to my iceberg quartzite slab. It was called Fantasy White I think by the yard. I got it at Americas Marble and Granite in Fort Pierce. I saw similar slabs at a yard on 714 in Palm City. Not Marble of the World but another place just down the street. Can't recall the name offhand.

Thank you!! That is stunning! Do you mind telling me who the fabricator is? I understand that quartzite is hard to fabricate.

AMG Also fabricated it. I was very happy with the work and would use them again. My seams are not super invisible, due to it being so hard to cut I guess but they are well color matched and placed well and I've got no issues with that. It's been in almost a year and no problems. My first slab choice was Super White and it tested as a true quartzite but it cracked along a fissure in transport. AMG was great, they showed it to me and offered me the choice of accepting it and having the crack repaired (with a discount) or choosing new slabs.

They're not a huge place but have a nice selection and, as I mentioned, I was pleased with the work and the service that I got there.

All those slabs are beautiful. ALthough I did soapstone, I still love the lighter quartzites

So what you have is fantasy white - not super white?

It looks alot like one I found called elegant white - but they ultimately said it was a marble not quartzite

Yes, I have fantasy white, also known as Iceberg. After the super white I originally chose cracked I changed to the fantasy white/iceberg

christina your counters and kitchen are gorgeous! In my area I have seen slabs called fantasy white that look like yours. However, the iceberg slabs around here don't look like that, they look like mominmiami's original post. I would love to see a pic of your kitchen with the backsplash. I still pine over the Superwhite counters that I wanted so badly and yours remind me of them.

It's really frustrating how there is no set naming for these things. Seems like every yard has their own names for things! The Super White that we originally picked out was also called white mountain. Here's a photo of it.

It was really pretty. It had more lines and chunks in it. It was a little bit warmer in color than the stone I ended up with and was shades of gray only.

The slab I ended up with, which I saw called Fantasy White and Iceberg White is much more swirly. It also has areas of pure white and a few small swirls of blue and green. It's also translucent, which the super white was not. Both passed the quartzite tests. I saw nearly identical slabs but with more blue called Iceberg Blue as well.

Here's mine with the backsplash, which is Calacatta White by Ciottoli.

Up close:

Really pretty.

I think we have the same food processor. Mine is 31 years old.

I tried Americas Marble but they don't have fantasy white anymore. Went to another yard and they have a beautiful blue ice- but they say its calcite. Having trouble finding actual quartzite which looks like the pictures above.

lcskaisgir: Your Calacatta quartzite counter tops are beautiful, funny that you still pine over the super white :). Did you chose the calacatta over super white due to durability? Are they as bullet proof as you expected? I'm looking at calacatta quartzite from T&M Supply as well.

Thank you. I had SUCH a difficult time deciding on counters. Everytime I see a finished kitchen with one of the counters I was considering, I feel like I wish I would've chosen it instead. I think it's because the calacatta quartzite was not my first choice....I REALLY wanted Superwhite but couldn't risk the etching issues. I know that I would be unhappy with etched counters and couldn't commit to the extra care they would require, especially considering my very messy sons and husband! I have no etches or stains and stuff sits on the counter without getting immediately wiped up on a regular basis...tomato sauce, mustard, red wine, etc. On occasion I have noticed that it has absorbed water near the sink (resulting in VERY subtle darker blotches that none else would ever notice) but after a few days it seems to evaporate. I just resealed it so hopefully that will solve that problem. I do love them though and they are definitely one of the things in the kitchen that gets the most compliments.

Absolutely beautiful countertops! This is exactly what we are looking for, but unsure about the durability of quartzite. Have you had any issues with scratches? We tested out a Namib Sky and Mont Blanc quartzite samples and they both scratched with a knife whereas granite did not. Also, you mentioned that super white would have etched...how do you know which quartzites will etch vs. the ones that do not? Just by testing a sample? Can you also recommend a brand of sealant that worked on quartzite?

$42/SF is pretty good for Quartzite. They're running more around $80-100 for us here and that's at close to wholesale price.

True quartzite will neither etch nor scratch. The only way to be sure of what you're getting is to test a sample of the slab you're considering. The super white I was considering did not etch, I left lemons, wine, tomato and vinegar on it overnight and it all just wiped off. Some stones called super white are not quartzite though and will etch. You really can't trust what the yard tells you, you have to test for yourself. I was lucky to have a yard that seemed to fully understand the differences between granite, marble and quartzite. Beachem also has a point, $42 for quartzite would raise a red flag for me. That's a very low price for quartzite.

MominMiami, My stone yard here in Maine, when I selected Fantasy Brown Quartzite, told me that they strongly recommended the leathered finish as it would resist staining more. That's what I got, although my sample scratched glass, and nothing I put on it it stained it. The sample was honed.

A true quartzite should not scratch or etch. There are counter top threads that are super helpful to learn about the different types of stone and how you can test them. Here is the most recent one:

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0922200513172.html?55

This is an old thread, not sure if I can ask questions here anymore....

I was surprised at the prices for this quartzite, ice-berg, crystallo etc., I like it a lot and they are quoting 250/sq. ft. now. How can I get it for cheaper in Michigan, any idea/thoughts are much appreciated!