You are going to be really happy either way! I suggest you and the DH play rock, paper, scissors to decide. LOL.

Here is my Minas, for what it is worth:

{{gwi:1566040}}

Anita

I've chosen Beleza because I just love the dark green tint.

worldmom,
You're in a good place - you like both the rocks! That's good.

To pick between them, forget the rocks. What is your vision of your kitchen? Do you have your inspiration pics or your mission statement or a design brief? Go to that now and get completely immersed into that vision/inspiration/whatever. Then with all the passion you might feel for ... oh, say a trashcan! - see which of minas and beleza fits into that vision. Cross your fingers at this point and hope that the answer isn't "Neither" *VEG*!.
Ok, strike that last sentence - coz the point is to try to be as dispassionate about making these choices as possible given that you've found the ingredients for the kitchen that you love. The issue is to make sure that you'll love the agglomeration in the large as much as you love the individual components in the small.

I loved them both too and probably would have gone for the Minas (for the reasons you state -- it's a bit more like what I think of when I think soapstone) but we needed the larger slabs that our supplier had only in Beleza. And I do love the hint of green (it's quite subtle unless the stone is wet or in direct sunlight).

After six months I'm very happy with the Beleza.

If you truly love both, let your kids vote :)

As someone who also agonizes with choices and my search for the right countertop was long and filled with a few adventures, I can say that we are loving our Minas soapstone. When oiled it is almost black, but when the sun shines on it there is green in it. It holds the oil well and even when I didn't oil it for 2 weeks over the Christmas holidays it barely faded and it was just installed. Pics would never do it justice. In real life, the quartz and the white veining is just amazing.

The Beleza is beautiful as well. When oiled, the green is subtle and the stone appears more consistent. It is a very hard stone so if you are worried about dings and scratches, the Beleza could be more to your liking. I was told by Dorado where I got my Minas that the Beleza was one of the hardest soapstones.

If I had to do it over again, I would still get the Minas, as I love the subtle veining. Also, I can't say enough good things about Dorado Soapstone. Their knowledge and customer service is the best.

More Minas:

{{gwi:1566041}}

{{gwi:1566042}}

{{gwi:1566043}}

Thank you for all the pictures, everyone. I've seen them all before, but it's nice to be able to see several Minas ones in one thread. Anyone want to add their Beleza pics?

mindstorm - I like what you suggested and if I do that, the Minas is the clear winner. Most of my inspiration photos show carrara marble and/or a black soapstone. If I do as daki suggests, Beleza gets the vote, hands down. My kids aren't wild about the veining in Minas.

Even though we're 2 months from needing our countertops, I need to make this decision quickly as we've been waiting for Dorado to possibly get in some less veiny Mina, which they did. I have three slabs of this bundle on hold:

And this is actually Duro Minas, which is harder than Minas and more comparable in durability to Beleza.

I'm telling you - it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other! ;o)

I had this great idea that I would find out which was less expensive and let that make my decision. There was a less than $200 difference. I mean, yes, it's $200, but in the grand scheme of it all, that hardly seems significant.

Back to the drawing board. ;o)

It seems to me that the Duro Minas fits all the needs, since it's blacker, calmer veining, and harder. (Bonus: it's saved for you!) Doesn't hit on everything that way? Knowing what I do about your other color choices (the celery greens), I think I'd steer away from the greener soapstone.

Hi.

I too love the classic soapstone look. We went with GM Original (on hold).

That pic of Duro Minas you posted looks like a gorgeous slab. I say go with your first instinct, which sounds like Minas.

Good luck & post pics when you choose your slab...so much fun!

rhome - can you just come and stay for a couple of months and make all these decisions for me? I'll put a ticket in the mail. Thanks. ;o)

I was just drooling over ndvweb's kitchen yet again, and I think I am being pulled in the direction of the Minas. I also just spoke to Karla at Dorado who told me that this Minas isn't actually harder than the other Minas, just that it has a different name to distinguish between the sources. I'm pretty sure someone told me otherwise initially, but it's possible I made that up. ;o) Still, it's a fairly hard stone, especially compared to the M. Teix Indian ones I initially fell in love with.

if I do that, the Minas is the clear winner. Most of my inspiration photos show carrara marble and/or a black soapstone. If I do as daki suggests, Beleza gets the vote, hands down. My kids aren't wild about the veining in Minas.

Hmmm. Do ya have to keep the kids???
;-)

That picture you've got there is lovely! Is that the one that fits the vision or the kids? Either way it is gorgeous. Besides, rhome speaks wisely, methinks, with her point about too many different greens.

I'd be glad to! :-) It's easy to spend other people's money...and make decisions from afar that I won't have to live with.

That last picture you posted is gorgeous and is one beautiful slab! My vote would definitely be for it as I love the subtle veining.

mindstorm - I don't say this very often, but "LOL" :oD I think the kids might need to stay.

My backup plan if I went with Beleza was to do a butter yellow in the kitchen rather than the celery green I'm wanting, but I'm not sure what I would do with the island.

Anyway, I think you guys are swaying me! The advantage of this is that if I end up not happy, I can blame you! Hee hee hee!

No, really, I think I'll be happy with that Minas. It is lovely, isn't it? I think it will look better with the marble, too.

thanks worldmom :) - my ears were burning and I wanted to chime in on how much I love my Minas too. I just posted pics of it on my finished kitchen thread.

You can't go wrong with either though!

worldmom,

Your slabs of Minas look like my Minas soapstone! Here are some pics of it after it was installed and oiled. It is a pretty quiet stone, but where the veins are is beautiful. I think you will love it!

I went in thinking I wanted the veining found in Minas, but I fell in love with the uniqueness of Beleza. While at the stone yaed, I waffled between the Minas and Beleza, I ultimately went with Beleza. It is very hard, and I can practically rub out light scratches with my fingers. It also looks fabulous unoiled or oiled. I have tried it both ways and currently am enjoying it in it's unoiled state. It shows more variation unoiled.

Here's a pic unoiled

and oiled

donna, I love your kitchen and your beleza is beautiful. Did you ever decide on a paint color?

plucky - would it be possible for you to take a pic of your Minas straight on? I'm trying to get a feel for what those little spotty areas look like when oiled. On the slab photo, they just look like grey splotches and it's hard for me to get a feel for what it would really look like. Your stone looks beautiful.

I have to confess that after only about 3 hours of being sure about Minas, I'm leaning Beleza-ward again. As I told rhome, it's mostly because when I went after both samples with a chef's knife, I had to really work to get the same sort of scratches in the Beleza that were quite easy to achieve with the Minas. With 14 people in the family, this countertop is going to take some abuse. ;o)

donna - when your stone is oiled, would you say it reads black, or is the overall effect still green? The sample I have is almost completely black, which is what I'm after, but maybe it's not representative of most Beleza? I've oiled it several times and it becomes blacker each time. And by the way, my husband LOVES your kitchen (I do, too!)

Thanks for all the pics and input, everyone!

Thanks pluckymama, we did decide on potters clay for the walls and I love the way it came out. Our painter left yesterday and I just got my badly behaving computer back from repair, so I will post some pictures of my 99 % done kitchen after I pull the paper off the floors.

worldmom, when oiled, the overall effect is black. At around 2:00 in the afternoon when the sun is streaming in the windows and hitting the counter, you can see the underlying green tint, along with the caramel and sparkling in some areas. It was more green when we looked at it oiled in the sun in the stone yard, which had me nervous because we also wanted a more black tone, but the owner was correct in assuring me that it would be more black indoors. Can't wait to hear what you decide. You can't go wrong either way as they are both beautiful stones. I can't attest to the hardness of Minas, but the Beleza is standing up to daily life with my three kids.

Thanks, Donna. That helps me a lot.

Seriously, you have one gorgeous kitchen, and I think my favorite thing (yes, I have another favorite thing) is that it's not a big box. It keeps its old house charm having the nooks and crannies it does. It's just beautiful.

worldmom,
Here's a straight on pic:

The Minas will scratch more easily than the Beleza. I found that out at Dorado Soapstone when I put the different slabs to the test ;). The good news is that with a little bit of oil, the scratch is gone. You can't go wrong with either one. Go with your heart. Either way you will love your soapstone.

worldmom, here are some pics of our leathered beleza. once we saw it, we fell in love! Our kitchen isn't finished yet, as you can see, but it's coming along...slowly. We started out wanted minas too, preferred the black/gray look. Found this by accident, in so. cal even! The green is very dark with black veins and some white. Very rich looking. Hope these pics help. Sorry if this further confuses you. Good luck, karla

What is your kitchen layout like? Do you have an island? Put one kind on the island and the other on the perimeter.

Donna and karlalock - your stones are GORGEOUS. Absolutely stunning. Contrary to the soapstone love, I haven't been one but your stones have convinced me otherwise. Actually, it looks rather similar to a slate that I have in the bathroom that I also love. Gorgeous stones both of you. COngratulations.

worldmom, have you picked your stone yet??

Donna - nope, I haven't yet, and our courtesy hold on our Minas will end in a few days. What to do, what to do...

Karlarock - Can you tell me if your stone is oiled in the photos? I really need something that will say, "Hello, I'm a black stone, and only at strange angles and bright sunlight can you see my hidden greens." ;o)

Mustbnuts (I love your username, BTW!) - we'll have white beaded inset cabs on the perimeter with *some* variety of soapstone, and carrara marble on the island. Whether the island will be stained or some other paint color (green, perhaps?) is still up for debate. Further complicating things is that I have two very different carrara slabs from which to choose - one very calm one which I have seen in person, and one very veiny one I've only seen in photos. I'm leaning toward the veiny one, but I couldn't have a very veiny Minas in the same kitchen.

We got photos of some new Minas slabs this morning which have even fewer white veins than the very quiet ones we have on hold, but it still appears to have a lot of the little white "spots," and I'm not sure I want that. In all of the finished Minas kitchen pictures I've seen, the stone appears solid black with white veins, without all the splotchies. Am I wrong about this? Do you Minas owners have those little spots, and they just aren't apparent in the photos?

Worldmom, your quote above

"Hello, I'm a black stone, and only at strange angles and bright sunlight can you see my hidden greens." ;o)

describes my Minas to perfection!

And I do not have lots of little white spots on mine.

Anita

hehe worldmom, you crack me up! I'm also looking for a very black soapstone that doesn't appear green and not too much veining to compete with my marble. The countertop guy called me "overly particular" today. Oh well.

"The countertop guy called me "overly particular" today."

LOL, Erikanh, I think you should wear that comment with pride...Shows a true TKO, I think. ;-D If most of us haven't heard it verbally, it's been said by the looks on faces of appliance salesman, tile showroom people, etc. who want to tell you or sell you what's easiest or otherwise advantageous to them. Some just get aggravated by those who know what they want. Others, though, thankfully, respect it and are impressed when they see you've done your homework.

karlarock - could you share the wood and finish on your cabs. thanks

sorry to go off topic.

We also were down to Minas or Beleza and went with the Minas. Minas fit the more traditional picture I had in my mind of soapstone. But I have to say, when I was at the stone yard the slabs of Beleza were absolutely beautiful. With the sun shining on them the green highlights and sparkly flecks were stunning. For just a moment it really swayed me, but ultimately I went with the Minas because it did not have hardly any green tone to it. Our kitchen colors were already set and I wanted a very black SS. I know this isn't very helpful, but just wanted to chime in. Both are so beautiful in different ways. Oh, and as to the hardness, my Minas is very hard and any scratches are easily oiled out. I also have not had to oil it very often. Like Plucky said, it holds the oil a long time. I use a beeswax/oil mixture I got on ebay.

Worldmom, our stone is NOT oiled...yet. We were told that if we oiled, it would become blacker. Not sure if we will. I would say it is very dark green with black veining. If your kitchen is on the dark side, it probably would look more black. Our kitchen is pretty bright, faces northeast. We are not living there yet, so I haven't seen it much past 4pm. When the sun hits it in the morning, however, it's definitely dark green. We didn't want green. Originally, we were looking for Minas, Black Venata, or Porto Allegro. When we saw the Leathered Beleza, and we were sold! It's a tough decision for sure. They're both beautiful! We just felt a warmth, richness of the Beleza. Feels sooo good! I go pet it almost everyday. Love the texture of the leathering. Can't wait until it's done. We are using a quartzite for the island called Esmerelda Green. Looks great with the soapstone.

Malhgold, our cabinets are custom and made of Alder. They have not been stained yet. Still naked! Not sure if we will stain or paint. Thinking of painting pearl pewter with antique finish for perimeter, and cherry stain for island. Not sure yet. Need to decide this week.

Thanks

Thanks for the info about your Beleza, Karla. I was hoping you would say it was unoiled in the photos. I think they look beautiful unoiled, but knowing that I can still achieve the black look I want with it oiled makes me happy.

And thanks for the close-up of yours, Plucky.

Do any of you have Beleza AND carrara or calacutta marble in the same kitchen? I'm going to do a separate post with the same question. Donna, you just have Beleza, right? sw in austin - do you have any marble?