Did you take a picture?

I've never seen anything quite like what you're describing. Any pictures from the slab yard?

No! my phone was dead, of course! We'll be going back in a day or so, I'll take some then!

http://www.umistone.com/photo/Thumb1024.asp?image=%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20TYPHOON_IVORY_-_3CM_Full_Slab_15648.jpg I finally found one on another site.. but it looks NOTHING like the one we looked at! this one is just whiteish with rust.

found a pic! But my smoky quartz section is HUGE! so pretty! Apparently, it is stunning, because someone came and tried to buy our slab later that day! whew! Thank Goodness I had put it on hold!

Pegmatite.

Google it! (or I can explain it if you want)

Thanks- Yes, I found that pic on the pegmatite geology page! It's just so hard to go through all the granite names and try to find info! LOL I don't know why it isn't just called "Pegmatite" in the yards! ;)

Nice job sleuthing it out!

There are lots of kinds of pegmatite, so I'm not sure it would be the best name. Then again, the commercial names are even more meaningless. Pegmatites are super cool, always a favorite to geology students because the crystals are so large. I saw a pegmatite in Colorado where the crystals were 2-3 feet across. I took a smallish piece of muscovite mica to bring home (which was allowed, fear not) and it's about 12 inches long. So cool!

BTW, watch out for large pieces of mica (silvery muscovite or black/bronzey biotite) because those will flake and can't be polished smooth. I hope you can get a slab of this to work for you, it would be perfect for your love of geology.

Mostly large chunks of the smoky quartz, with smaller clusters of the tiny black and I want to say red (garnet-like) shades? even a smaller piece of golden. The quartz is almost purple, and BIG. It was love at first sight! (which is shocking, because I walked through 3 yards and I was only ok with fantasy brown). It is leathered, so I think that helps just in case the chunkiness isn't going to stay perfect. More forgiving than polished.

Looking forward to some photos! There isn't likely to be garnet in this rock if it's actually a pegmatite. Biotite can be golden. Anyway, I'll have to see it to help ID what's what. Sounds exciting!

Monday we go to select cuts.. I will take pics then! So excited! Thank you!! (are you in the counter biz? or a geology expert, by the way? ;) )

Awoogala- you stumbled on an expert!! Karin is the resident geologist and countertop expert. A GREAT source of knowledge and info. You can search countertop geology and find all the threads she has done.

I kind of figured- she seemed like an expert! Lucky me!

Here it is! I'm sad we can't get the whole chunk in the counter, but top left corner will be near my stove, and the bottom will be my peninsula, and some more of the quartz in my coffee bar area. I would love to get the entire chunk in the peninsula, but no amount of tetris will make that happen, unless I buy another slab. Well, they said they'd make a cutting board out of the last chunk for me! There is mica, but I love it so much I can't say no! I'll just have to be careful!

Stunning! It will be spectacular. I can't wait to see it installed. Make sure you decide on templating. I remember my granite people insisted they could do it. I said no way. Went to the fabricator, and worked it out with them because I wanted my bar area to have the most color and they were going to put the dull area on the bar area. Even after we had discussed it.

It's a beauty, congrats! Good that you are working closely with the templating to show off the parts you want. The photos don't enlarge - do you have any higher-res versions? If not, that's OK, because we can see it's awesome nonetheless!

better?

Oh yeah, that is fantastic! That's definitely a pegmatite. I love the quartz, and the feldspar crystals are giant too. You're going to have so much fun with it. Thanks for sharing the photos, and your enthusiasm!

Stunning!

Looks like they would have had to cut up my giant quartz area to use one slab, so I bit the bullet and bought a second slab, because it would be criminal to not use that as a giant stunning piece.

I am spending way too much on granite now, but at least I cut out some lights to pay for prt of it.

Now that's commitment, phew! It's exciting though, and we can't wait to see the outcome. Good luck!

That looks very much like my granite and mine is leathered. It is called either Typhoon (I thought it was Bordeaux but could be wrong) and an alternate name is White Spring.

It looks like typhoon bordeaux, minus the redness.. all the bordeaux I've seen has that bordeaux wine color in it. I've never heard of white spring-thanks! I'll look it up!

Here's a picture of mine from when it was getting installed.

awesome! looks good, and yes, it does look close!

We picked the cuts today- just so happy I am not cutting up the big chunk!

That's exciting. I can't wait to see how it comes out!

That rocks! (pun intended) Congrats on your gorgeous find!

I can't stop petting it. seriously. It's so tactile. so alive. I'm in love. I don't have a huge kitchen. I have a kitchen with such impact now, though! The pics don't do it justice, though- phone pics can't capture all the sparkle and depth!

YES! You definitely used the rock to its full potential. Nice work! I bet you're so happy!

so happy. my children think I'm insane. I cannot stop touching it!

Hey, I think we've all been there!! When my granite was installed, I just stared at it, examining all the nuances. My kids thought I was crazy too.

Congrats!!! It looks great!

So pretty!

that really came out beautifully, Nice job!

Thanks, everyone- now if I can just find some darn handles and live through the rest of this reno- life will be good! I cannot wait to see the backsplash! hopefully it will keep up with the organic/semi-tropical feel we are going for.

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The granite looks great! I love the blue cabinets, they go nicely with the counter top.