There are not the same stone. Black Pearl is darker than Silver Pearl, which is a charcoal gray. Both are dense stones so hold up very well for kitchen use.

Here's a pic of my honed Steel Gray AKA Silver Pearl counter.

This is Black Pearl in my condo. It is bullet proof.

Thank you all. I am looking for black rather than gray, so I guess Black Pearl is what I need to see. I've only seen Silver Pearl.

Is Black Pearl strictly black with gray flecks? No other colors in there?

Our BP, seen in the right light, has a lot of very dark brown/grey throughout. Pictured below, the horizontal line separates counter/horizontal from BS/vertical. Sorry it's not the best pic: polished BP bounces all sort of light!

My Black Pearl has flecks of dark grey, light grey and some taupe.

The supplier won't have the Black Pearl in stock for about a week or so.

I was expecting to get a honed finish, but I actually liked the seude Silver Pearl, so hopefully I'll like it in the Black Pearl as well.

Wasn't really wanting brown, so hopefully I'll see slabs with not too much of that.

I know a non-polished finish will be different in terms of upkeep, but how has your polished been?

If anyone knows of any other "Black" granites to look at that won't be a nightmare for upkeep, please let me know (can't fit soapstone in the budget).

I have large areas of black pearl in my laundry room and bar. I will go out and take a look for you. It is mostly black with gray and silverish,

As so many have mentioned, polished DOES show every little speck of dust, crumb, water mark, etc. -- depends on what bugs you. I'm a constant wiper-downer anyway and of the mindset that I'd much rather see the dirt that's on my countertops. Long reno nightmare I won't get into here, but we're trading it in for leathered BP. Still love the BP, but DH says the reflective nature of polished really bothers him.

BTW, I need to look really hard to pick out the dark brown -- 99% of the time, my counters read black with some very interesting mottled bits. :)

Thanks javiwa. Yes, I want ours to read black, so that's good to know.

What is the difference between a suede finish and a leather finish? Or is the same thing and just renamed like they do the granite names. It can drive you bonkers!

Oh, don't even get me started! ;) I haven't seen a sueded sample, but our fabricator showed us what honed would be like: they take a polished piece and basically 'rough' up the surface so it's no longer glass-smooth -- leaves a matte finish, but still pretty 'flat' to the eye. The amount of leathering/texture our guy gave us as a sample is 3/4 way from honed to leathered. So, more nubby to the eye, but still buttery soft to the touch (ooh-la-la!). I was very concerned about gunk and flour getting caught in the grooves/divets, but it wasn't the case at all. I've read in the past that leathered granite absorbs oils from fingertips, but that may be because the granite wasn't sealed. Our fab sent us home with a sealed piece, which I dabbed cooking oil onto and let sit for a few hours. Wiped it clean -- no absorption (dark spot) whatsoever.

If you can, find a fabricator who at least has various samples of the different textures available in his showroom.

Pictured below (top to bottom) honed (unsealed), polished, leathered w/o sealant, leathered + sealant.

Look at Cambrian Black granite in a leathered finish. I had been "petting" an orphaned remnant for over a year whenever I visited the local granite yard during several bathroom remodels. For the last bathroom, the final tile choice went perfectly with my favorite slab of granite to touch...naturally, someone bought the remnant two days before I called. Since the large remnant had been there for years, they will not be ordering in another another slab! Ouch!

Awwww, rantontoo - so sorry to hear that. Here's hoping that as one door closed, another will open for you very soon!