Bookmatching happens when two slabs are cut in sequence, so the pattern is identical, then they are opened up like the facing pages of a book, and those are the surfaces that are finished, the surfaces that were originally together. So you get a mirror image of the pattern on each slab. Then you just lay out the two pieces of the template such that where the seam will be, the pattern matches up, vein for vein. It doesn't have to be an edge, but each piece of the template has to be placed in the corresponding location on the two slabs. I'm not explaining this very well. Do you sew? It's like matching stripes when you lay out a pattern. You can get chevron patterns when the veins are going diagonally up on one piece and down on the other, and they meet in a "V" formation.

I'd like to see pics of the Raven, as well. It's been an ongoing battle between me and my husband about what countertop to use. He likes the honed finish, and I do, too, but I am not necessarily going to wipe up the countertop every day or the minute something falls on it. I took my sample of Raven honed yesterday and sprayed it with a natural cleaner and left it a while. Then I rinsed it off and put both wine and some oil on it for an hour or two. When I wiped it off, there was a noticeable "splotch" in the finish. While it doesn't look bad on a 4" sample, I can imagine it looks terrible all over 20+ square feet of countertop. I'm wondering now if the regular finish is the way to go, especially since it doesn't appear to be as shiny as granite or other quartzes.

What I remember about Avery Island is the sharp Tabasco smell in the air a mile or so before you actually reached the buildings. Burned my nose a little. Near there we had to stop the car to let a good sized alligator cross the road. I was surprised that he walked with his body off the ground. I had always thought that they slithered. I liked St Framncisville, liked the houses there. Last time I was in Lafayette they had a freeze, very unusual for that area. Dampened my plans to take in the town. Natchez is lovely if you plan to go that far.

Oh, that's pretty, and so is the faucet! myersamyl, you sound just as I did a few years ago. We bought a used, polished carrara mable-topped dining table, and my late husband modified the base to make an island/work table. I honed and hand polished the top to a silky, satiny sheen. It's never been sealed, and it has no stains. My grandson once spilled a tube of red drink powder on it, and even that didn't leave a stain. He's managed to get blue ink on it, which came off with a poultice, and IIRC, there was also an incident with a yellow marker. I took care of the stains right away, but there is a deep etch where he left his metal lunch box (vintage Ramones) setting on the counter overnight. Leaking fruit juice left a large etch, with a deep 'crease' where the rolled edge of the metal reacted with the acid in the juice. I polished out the etch, but the crease will be there forever--at a certain angle it just looks like a bad seam. I have a few star dings--one has my name on it, where I knocked a claw-hammer off a paint can on which I'd carelessly left it, and a few more where one of my DDs dropped a handful of hematite 'chatter stones' she was juggling, while she sat at the island. The first year or so, I polished out every little etch with a smooth sanding- sponge, but I've relaxed. I don't think I've done any maintenance since the fruit juice debacle. We've made a million pfefferneuse cookies on that slab, lots of arlettes, puff pastry, pie crust, bread, pizza dough, and noodles. Maybe some day I'll re-hone, but probably not. I still love the marble, and as you have heard, it has stories to tell of my loved ones--someday I hope I'll be able to show a great-grandchild where his dad left the leaky Ramones lunch box. :)