I agree with rookie - I have a leathered Marron Cohiba with these crazy white veins that looks a lot like oiledsoapstone from a little distance, but up close has much more granite character. It is not perfectly matte - it does have some sheen to it, but definitely not glossy. I love it. Super easy maintenance, doesn't show every fingerprint or smudge and totally gorgeous. One thing I wasn't sure about was if the texture was going to be too much for rolling cookies or pastry, but I have rolled fondant and pie crust right on the counter and it did great. I say find antiqued/leathered slabs you love and go for it.

Ooooh, I've never seen leathered Marron Cohiba before. In the pic (beautiful kitchen!), it looks like oiled soapstone! When I was browsing stone yards, the only leathered I came across was cambrian. I'm probably better off, made the decision really easy but I chose it as the next best thing to soapstone so I'm really drooling over your countertop jrueter....

I've never heard of Marron Cohiba before either, but it's beautiful, as is the rest of your kitchen. Will have to see if it's available at a local stoneyard. I'm glad to hear that there are positive experiences out there with leathered/antiqued finishes. Thanks very much for sharing.

Marron Cohiba is also known as Antique Brown. jrueter is in CA and I am in NC and they had the same name both here and there, so it's not a regional thing. I guess it depends on where it is quarried. (Marron = brown in Spanish, but I don't think Cohiba = Antique.) I agree with rookie and jrueter about the leathered/antiqued finish. I looked at honed AB and ruled it out because it was not predictable; one slab kept fingerprints, another didn't, but I didn't want to risk it. Leathered has been a great choice for us.

My "tied-for-first" choice was Silver Pearl "satin", which I believe was just my slab warehouse's name for it. I think it would be comparable to "antiqued". I chose something else, but still have regrets about the Silver Pearl. The texture and color were really nice, and more "me".

Go with your gut feeling!

Bumping this thread. I also like the look of soapstone but am afraid of chips & scratches. Was just given a piece of silver pearl antique today. Was told it is more durable than honed granite. It is textured and warm looking in it's natural state, and not too dark. Did anyone here ever get this granite?

Hi all, I just saw a beautiful slab of Steel Gray, a.k.a Silver Pearl granite today. For those who want gray counters that are lighter than oiled soapstone, it seems like a possibility.

Elba1, what did you end up choosing for your counters?

Does anyone have any photos to share of Silver Pearl granite installed in their kitchen? My wife and I are almost set on picking it (over the more expensive Antique Brown)... Thanks!