Hello OneRidgeOff, we are excited you are considering
Cambria Parys or Charston for your upcoming project! Our Jewel Collection does
have surface deviations, which are an intended aesthetic in this design. We do
not try to hide that the deviations occur as you can read on the back of any
Jewel Collection sample: “This design has natural free-flowing quartz crystals,
resulting in surface deviations to the touch and appearance.” These deviations
do not compromise the durability or non-porous benefits of Cambria. We
recommend viewing a large slab before purchasing, just so you are aware of
these characteristics. These are more likely in the Jewel and Coastal
Collections, but we have 7 other collections in which surface deviations are
less likely to, but still may, occur. If you have any other questions regarding
these designs, please call our Customer Care Team at (866)226-2742 and they
will be more than happy to answer any questions you have regarding Cambria’s
quality.

That's an interesting response. In fact it helps settle the debate for me. I just saw a 12x12 size sample of Parys for the first time at a builders supply yesterday. It had pits and divots and looked "used hard". The other Cambria samples looked like what I would expect from a solid surface material - solid not pitted. If this what is considered a "design feature", no, I don't want new expensive counters looking abused. Thanks for the input.

just a note from my experience, although the 12x12 sample is nicer than the little squares, there are still likely parts of the pattern that you can't see. If you can look at whole slabs, so much the better. I changed my mind completely after looking at full slabs.

We're glad you were able to see larger samples and compare to help refine your choice. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions. We wish you the best of luck with your project!

That's a beautiful countertop Megan, thanks for sharing. I love blue, but don't think I would want a whole countertop worth of it, so I like the overall affect is more black. The blue flecks look larger and more vivid than the little sample led me to believe. Do you see the blue "pop" more in natural daylight, or at night with overhead lighting?

Are your spots considered to be Resin Pooling? If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have thought it was part of the pattern, like flashes of starlight in the dark sky.

OneRidgeOff I think the white spots are part of the design. at first I thought it was resin pooling, but it doesn't look like that, the flecks are too small. I was just surprised because none of the samples I saw had them. The white spots are very 'rare' in my counter, but are found in more than that one area. Most of them are very tiny, and look great, just those two in the photo are larger and stand out.

It's tough to say if the spots glow more in natural light or in overhead. I think if the sunlight hits them just right, that's when the shine the most, but since that only happens in my kitchen for a brief time, I mostly see them shine from the overhead lights above the island. I like to sit there at night and just stare at them.

Megan, I am sure I would do the same thing, just stare and be entranced by the beautiful blue flashes! I honestly think the beauty of it would encourage me to keep on top of the countertop clutter.

We are going to a big stone distributor soon, hope to see some slabs of Charston and others,big lesson learned is that you can't judge a countertop by a two inch sample! Or even a 12 inch sample