Thanks for all the feedback! I definitely will go to see the seam. I'm just so curious about what the technique is and if the seam is really virtually invisible - I've never heard of this before. It does sound challenging to create the piece with seam at the shop and transport and install it without breaking. I wonder if it's not so much a "new" technique as something they just don't like to do routinely. The photos and the link were interesting to see, thanks all! I can barely see where the seams are in the posted photos, but hard to judge from a distance. My island is pretty much identical to the one in stonegirl's photos (is that giallo veneziano?), except that ours bows out where the eating counter is. I don't think there's really any way to lower a part of the island at this point (the end pieces are already built) without a major remake, but I have thought of the possibility. Will start thinking in those terms if I don't want a seam, regardless. I hate these kind of decisions too, michellemarie! lilyfreak - I have found a big difference between what various fabricators told me with respect to my situation - don't know if the same would be true for you (maybe the experts on this board will weigh in) but it's worth exploring. For example, I was told by many fabricators that it was "impossible" to transport and install an 11 foot island when I had already been to a place that told me it would be no problem with adequate entry to the house and enough workers to transport. Ran into the same thing when asking about seams. One fabricator told me that it is impossible to get a seam under 1/8 inch. Another told me that he had never seen or heard of a slab over 130 inches. When I mentioned finding these elsewhere, the next day he came up with six from his supplier! I am sure he knew - he just wanted to sell from his own inventory first or didn't want to deal with the more difficult job. I can understand that - I just wish they didn't imply these things were impossible for anyone. On the other hand, I've run across some absolutely terrific and helpful fabricators - they helped me search for slabs, referred me to their suppliers and were always completely honest about what they could and could not do. It's interesting though - I never would have gone past the first place recommended to me if I hadn't started looking into large slabs. I imagine most people don't!

I appreciate everyone's feedback. Unfortunately I don't have the dimensions of the slab as that information was not provided to me. The slabs were selected a few months ago so it seems there has been ample time to have realized a second seam was needed based on the layout. I didn't select the fabricator - it is who my contractor uses. I obtained bids and interviewed several contractors. I had glowing recommendations from multiple people. The contractor raved about the fabricator and showed me several examples of their work that were very high quality. I started to feel less confident when I arrived for the mapping and felt rushed through the process and they could not provide an explanation as to why a second seam was necessary. I recognize that sometimes there are considerations that the average homeowner might not take into account, so I would have liked it explained to me with sufficient time to change to something different if necessary. If I hadn't insisted on attended the mapping, I would not have known of the second seam until installation. If the countertop was fabricated with one seam as originally planned, the largest piece would be 7'6", which doesn't seem unusually large to me, but there may be information that I don't have. Thanks again for the feedback. It's been a tough process and I spent alot of time planning and researching and am upset to think of being disappointed in one of the most visible parts of the kitchen. Thought I had done adequate due diligence and planning.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and comments. After looking through the comments here and looking at some pictures on Houzz, I am more comfortable with the idea that the pattern should stay consistent around the counters. As I mentioned earlier, the fabricator will have software running by Friday which will also give me pictures of how the seams will look. A secondary question now, is whether the pattern should run in a consistent direction between the island and countertop. Here is a very rough sketch of our kitchen layout with the 2 options I see (I know that not all aspects of this design meet GW standards, but mine wasn't the only voice with an opinion): I was speaking with our KD/GC today, and we both agree that the pattern should run down the main length of the island. He also feels strongly that the pattern should also run parallel to the longest length of the countertop (Option 1 above) and my wife agrees with him. He's not that concerned that the pattern directions don't match between the island and counter, and my wife actually thinks it's better that they don't match. Option 2 would keep the pattern moving in the same direction throughout the room, but leaves the pattern running perpendicular along the longest run of countertop. I'd appreciate hearing any thoughts that others might have on this.

Rodding is old-school and is only necessary on very fragile stones or unusual situations. The problem is that many fabricators don't do it right. They use polyester instead of epoxy for bedding which isn't nearly as water resistant and cold steel instead of stainless or fiberglas rods which won't rust. I'm going to fix an exploded (oxidized) rod tomorrow. I hate it when they're in the back of the sink instead of the front. $800-$1,600.00 with no guarantee on appearance or durability and it's still a very cost effective alternative to replacement.