Into the Black: Black and Gold Marble-Look Quartz
Not that photo again! For some years an image we posted of black and gold marble – Nero Portoro or Portoro Gold – has generated more enquiries than any other single image. I popped it into a 2017 article about marble-look quartz, really as an example of what the man-made materials couldn’t do… yet. People looking for black and gold marble/quartz find the image via Google Images and never see the article which is all about how we can’t provide the very thing they are looking for.
But it is beginning to look as if the search for an engineered stone with a black and gold marble-look is starting to bear fruit. We have got to the point where we actually have something to offer when we get these enquiries! This is exciting, and a bit of a relief, in a way! In this article, we want to look at two or three possibilities which are already available.
It’s good to have something to report – after all, there are few looks which breathe classic luxury like black marble – whether with a white or a gold vein.
Into the Black: Cambria Woodcroft Quartz
First up, Cambria Woodcroft. Cambria is a US-based quartz manufacturer with a reputation for a “natural+” look in its materials and great quality. As you would expect from a company majoring in the American market, there is far more emphasis on big colour and especially shades of brown than we see here in Europe. But as the pendulum here swings back towards natural stone looks with more colour, Cambria really has a part to play. We have fitted many of their stones, and I am sure that we will be working in Woodcroft before long. This quartz for kitchen worktops is a direct attempt to copy black, gold-veined, marble.
A full slab of Cambria Woodcroft Quartz
Into the Black: Dekton Laurent
Dekton Laurent is an even more direct copy of a Portoro marble. The look is very realistic, though not as bright in the gold as our infamous photo! The material is available in 20mm thickness for worktops.
Like other marble-look Dektons the pattern is effectively printed on, so doesn’t run right through the slab – check out the missing veins on the edge in the close up with the two bowls here. And, also like other Dektons, it has all the pros and cons of that material: amazing hardness, stain-, scratch- and heat-resistance, but also brittleness and propensity for worse cracks and chips than you would expect in quartz or granite. See our various articles on materials for help – you could start here.
Into the Black: Compac Ice Black Quartz
Compac Ice Black is a VERY striking quartz! It isn’t as close to the Portoro look as the first two products but has massive visual impact. No gold, but some creaminess with the white – this quartz is stunning. It is striking how many of the projects that feature it online are very modern, bold in design themselves. It lends itself to big statements – we like it!
A full slab of Compac Ice Black
Into the Black: Sensa Indian Black Granite
Sensa Indian Black – a bold stone bought through Cosentino, makers of Silestone and Dekton. Customers very often assume for some reason that natural stone (granite) will be more expensive than quartz. In fact, this is the most economical of the materials listed here. Bold and dark with a lot going on in both pattern and colour, Indian Black is a great stone, especially on big statement islands. The Sensa branding means that it is deep-sealed to avoid cleaning issues down the line – although a black stone like this is unlikely to present problems anyway. Much recommended – try us for a price!
Into the Black: Other materials that must be mentioned
These are not the only black-veined materials, of course! The Indian Black is only one of a whole group of natural stones with related looks – check out Cosmic Black, Black Fusion, Black Beauty and Orinoco, for starters! Silestone, Classic Quartz, Caesarstone and Unistone all have great quartz materials in this look, to name but four. And, over in the Dekton-like ceramic market, Sapienstone, Neolith, Laminam and others also have black and gold or black and white marble-look kitchen worktop options. Here are just a few examples…
Silestone Eternal Noir
Silestone Nero Marquina
Belvedere Granite
Laminam Noir Desir Lucidato – a ceramic-type stone
Neolith Nero Marquina – a ceramic-type stone
Neolith Calatorao – a ceramic-type stone
Cosmic Black Granite
Unistone Java Noir
Caesarstone Vanilla Noir
Classic Quartz Roma Black
Sensa Orinoco Granite
We are Affordable Granite, the leading granite and quartz worktop supplier in Surrey, Sussex and across the South East. Our main business is granite and quartz, but we also install kitchen and bathroom worktops in quartzite, marble and (occasionally) Dekton and other sintered-particle/ceramic materials. We want to be the best in the business for customer service and advice to anyone who is doing up their kitchen. Call us for a quotation on 01293 863992 or by email on sales@affordablegranite.co.uk.
© Images from Affordable Granite / Andrew King Photography or as provided by the manufacturer. Image with the words ‘Aviary Palm Rooms‘ shot in lobby of the Montcalm Royal London House – together one of the best places to stay and one of the coolest clubs to have a drink in all of London. Please notify us of any inadvertent use of copyright material where permission is not granted.
