Thanks! Yes, we plan to go see the slabs before we make a final purchase. We saw the darker slab and it looked very different in the sun compared to when we bought the sample indoors. The light colored slab they only had remnants and are expecting a truck mid week so we plan to go back and see it again.

The colors definitely change drastically once they are in the house though vs. when you see them outside vs inside light. The middle piece, the true Blue Pearl is a balance between the light and dark.

Anyone have a guess on what the light colored granite may be called if it isn't "Light Blue Pearl"?

I guess I was hoping to hear some opinions and preferences on the colors, even though I know it is very subjective. Or hear from anyone who may have Blue Pearl installed and if theirs is lighter, medium, or darker, and how they like it after having it a while. Keep in mind the lighter and darker will save us $1K.

I actually have Blue Pearl in a bathroom floor. It looks very much like your bottom left sample (that kind of depth, with pieces that reflect/shimmer like in that piece), but it looks bluer, more the color of the bottom right one. Do you see how the bottom left piece has some flecks that seem more shimmery? Ours has that quality but with the overall "pattern" and color of the bottom right. It reads very dark on the floor, but definitely blue.

The light colored one doesn't look like anything like what I've seen of Blue Pearl. To me it looks more like generic gray/black/white specks granite--the kind of granite that I've seen under several names at different yards. I don't remember what names I've seen it as, sorry.

I have black pearl, I would caution on the dark to be aware of how dusty your home appears. It's a twice daily wipe down even if we don't do anything in the kitchen. A single handprint or elbow leaves a mark to be cleaned :). It is beautiful though

We did blue pearl in our first kitchen (with cabinets we painted white and white subway tile). It looked like one of your bottom two samples. I did not feel that it made our tiny kitchen too dark. It looked more or less black in some Iights and more sparkly and blue in others. I did not find it hard to keep looking nice, It had enough variation that it did not particularly show dust or smudges.

Blue pearl is one of the toughest of the granites. So it's a good choice in that regard. I think the advice is generally not to even seal it as it won't absorb the sealer. I would try to test whichever one you choose for staining, just t be in the safe side--especially if you decide to go with the light blue pearl.

Thanks everyone, its very helpful to hear from you all, especially since you have Blue Pearl in your home.

windycitylindy

Yes, I totally get what you mean. The picture I took probably doesn't show the right hand bottom Blue Pearl color best. It has the depth and shimmer of the left hand piece, but the difference is that it has blue flakes, instead of only silver. Yours is probably the better of them and a true Blue Pearl. And I agree on the light one, it looks very different from the true Blue Pearl. I must say it is quite nice in person and the blue really catches your eye, I guess i'll have to see it on the large slab in person to know if it is what we want or not.

amyktexas

Is yours a darker shade? I've been told and read online that people say Blue Pearl actually hides crumbs, dust, and other imperfections so well that they need to look at it on different angles or else they miss the mess. I guess it could all be in the lighting, and that is exactly why I don't want to go too dark. I hate when you need to wipe a counter multiple times a way when it isn't even used. Hoping to avoid that.

crl_

Thanks for your experience and tips. Glad to hear it is so durable with abortion. What do you suggest I use to test the samples for staining? A wet cup left on the surface for a few hours or something similar? And what color backsplash did you have installed? White, or a marble with white/gray variations?

Thanks again everyone!

There are some countertop geology threads around here with tips and responses from a very helpful geologist. I think all of them have some tips on testing stones, though they may focus a bit more on how to tell marble from granite/quartzite. I'd do drops of vinegar or lemon juice, ketchup, mustard and food coloring to see if anything stains or etches it.

We had plain white subway tiles. I liked the combination. I think it is tricky to blend marble with other stones.

In our area, the top grades of Blue Pearl are called Blue Pearl Royale, and it is spectacular because it has both the deep and the light blue, and the large "flakes" that show the bi-refringence in the light. (If I recall correctly, it comes from Norway.) Perhaps you can find a place to view that one. I do strongly second the advice from windycitylindy to select your own slabs! As a natural stone, there will be some areas of "muddiness" even in so regular a stone as Blue Pearl, and with planning, you can cut around them in the templating.

I did my first kitchen in Blue Pearl, and it was dark with the deep blue chips. I really liked it. As others stated, I would find a slab you like in a warehouse (they don't fabricate) and then provide the slab info (I just take a picture of the tags) to several reputable fabricators. I

did that with a slab and thus far have had two quotes, which are $4k apart on the same slab! So, it is interesting how much two fabricators will charge. I know have found another slab in another warehouse and I am running it by the lower priced fabricator to see if I can further decrease the cost. But it is definitely worth getting multiple bids on whichever blue pearl slab(s) you like best. Good luck!

Blue Pearl is a Norwegian granite and has many variations as you know. It varies from grey hilights (Blue Pearl Royal) to darker blue with more hilights (Blue Pearl GT) and from shades of blue (light blue pearl, blue pearl and black pearl). There is also different colors such as Emerald Pearl, etc.

Unfortunately people misuse the terms and hijack them showing samples for one and swapping in leftover cuts from others! You have to pick your slab and identify it again before they cut to avoid tricks and swaps!

Older thread but found this as im picking tile out. I’m getting a blue pearl bathroom vanity top. It looks like the bottom left sample in that picture above. I never pictured me going for a dark counter but the pearl tones totally got me. I was walking by the counter/vanity and stepped back a few steps and couldn’t hide my reaction. ’wow’ I said and knew that was the one to get. Now visiting a massive tile store for flooring and some backsplash. So much tile to choose from and that can go with this counter but I’ll figure it hopefully today since the other day i only got through half the store. lol

Hi, Handyfrank:

I may be a bit late to your discussion, but part of the beauty of natural stone is in the variations. No two slabs are identical.

Blue pearl is my choice for an upcoming project in my own kitchen, and I have loved it since I first saw it in mineralogy and petrography classes in college too many years ago.

When I pull the trigger on my project, I will be looking for a slab with a good bit of blue, but I want the depth of color as well. I'm not concerned about being too dark, as I will be doing mostly white cabinets and the dark horizontal surface will be an exclamation point on the light colors elsewhere.

For the backsplash I'm leaning toward a granite called 'ashen white', a light grey with fairly strong lineation in the texture and that includes red crystals of garnet in the matrix. I will have stainless and black appliances, and a hammered copper sink which will be the focal point of the kitchen.

Best of luck!

Winston and Baldurdash, the Wonder-Elghund

I am a fabricator. Blue Pearl is one of my favorite colors. The very dark stone in your photo is not Blue Pearl. The 'GT" is the premium version of the stone with better color so a higher cost is typical. Definitely pick your slabs. good luck.

"For the backsplash I'm leaning toward a granite called 'ashen white', a light grey with fairly strong lineation in the texture and that includes red crystals of garnet in the matrix."

@Winston Elston - I do not recommend this, for two reasons. One is that two granites next to each other never look good together. It's like plaid and stripes. Do the Blue Pearl for your counters, and a quiet tile for your backsplash. Second reason is that granites with "red crystals of garnet" end up looking like something like blood has spilled or splattered, giving the constant urge to wipe it off.

Wow its been 6 years already since I posted this? I ended up saving the money and going with the darker Blue Pearl. It ended up being the right choice. Once installed it looked fantastic, and my original photo showed it much darker than it is in real life.

It has held up great and still looks as good as it did the day it was installed. It is extremely durable, haven't had any chips or breaks even when hitting it by mistake around the sink edge. It also hides crumbs extremely well (Which is a plus and minus) so I just wipe them out of habit always, but don't demand needing to be cleaned excessively like a white or light colored granite would.

I've noticed Blue Pearl is harder and harder to come by when looking at Granite on displays, or is just less popular. We had painted our cabinets white and installed the granite, and matched them with a light grey colored backsplash and it all came together fabulous.

6 years later and I'm still loving Blue Pearl :)

@handyfrank Could you post pictures? Thanks in advance.