I can completely understand your concerns. I looked at granite for 8 weeks. Every visit to each slab yard just confused me more! I went from Juparana Super Classico to Espirto Santo, to Golden Ray to Juparana Persa. Once I found a slab of Espirito Santo I 'loved', called my fabricator who told me it would be $1000 more for that material. As we near the end of the remodel, there is not an extra $1000 lying around to spend! He suggested that we visit the yards together. Within ten minutes, we found we found two very unique slabs of Madura Gold that I must have walked past countless times and never noticed. When he pulled the slabs out, put my cabinet door and flooring next to it, I knew we had found it! I realized that he has spent 20 years installing granite and has seen every type installed. He had a great eye for the look I was trying to achieve. (Even better that the designer who I paid to go with me three times!) Maybe your fabricator can help. Another great source I found was Planet Granite. They have their entire inventory on line. You can see pictures of full slabs. Even though they would not be the slabs you would purchase, it gives you a nice overview of how each material might look. Just click on search inventory and then choose a granite from the drop down menu at the top. Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: Granite Photos

Mamajenn, posting pictures isn't difficult. First you need to upload them to a site such as Photobucket. Once that's done, underneath the thumbnails are options for what you want to do with the pictures. Click on the HTML code; it will automatically copy that. Then paste it into your message. When you then preview your post, it will show your picture. Now on to your question. I am no expert and am soliciting lots of input here on GW. I think any of those choices for an island would work! Actually, right now I am trying to decide on a rather exotic granite for my island (house is just now at the framing stage) with a plainer surface for perimeter counters. I too will have white cabinets and hardwood floors. There are gorgeous granites with green in them. My vote would be to look for a green granite. Personally, my island is pretty long so I am having granite on most of it but a 3x3' butcher block on one end.

These are my pics of my countertops placed Friday June 22, 2018. I cried looking at these seams. It looks so cheap. Fabricator explains that's the way it comes. I explained that I shouldn't be able to see the seams so clearly. It looks so unprofessional. They ended up taking them back to their warehouse. In hopes they say if it is quality control will try and fix it just to make it look better. Otherwise I will have to pay an additional fee for them to come out again to install. I just don't know what to do and if still looks the same. This is the first time I've replaced my counters in 24 years. I don't and can't live with it. looking at this for another 24 years. It looks so cheap and it really was not it's a lot of money to me. I hope fingers crossed that they will fix this problem. They never told me that there would be such seams. I thought the edges were done by a machine and it would be all one piece. I have read up on this and now understand there are seams. But now I do know that they should not look like this. If they are good fabricator you shouldn't be able to see them so clearly. I will find out next week what happens.

I am a fabricator. Pick the look you like 1st and then evaluate the different materials. With respect to chipping; either quartz or most granites are very chip resistant if the top corner of the edge is radiused at 3/8" or greater. I believe the vast majority of chipping complaints for either material are due to a sharp top radius. Any of the options you are considering should be durable. I have to disagree with others that assert that granite can't take hot pans. In 18 years I've only had one countertop failure due to heat and that was a lady that had four "lefse" burners set out for a party so the stone was subjected to hot spots for several hours. I move hot pans directly from my stove and oven on to my granite all the time with no ill effects.