Granite is a frequently used building material. Among the rarest of granites and, therefore, the most expensive are the blue granites. An affordable option in this color family is the silvery blue stone known as Blue Pearl granite.

Origins
Blue Pearl granite is quarried in Norway. Prized for its silvery, blue color, the stone is distributed throughout Scandinavia and the world as a tile and countertop material.

Characteristics
Although the name of the stone indicates a blue color, the granite is actually more silver or metallic blue in color than a true blue. Excessive amounts of mica in the stone, along with quartz, give the stone a pearlescent sheen when polished, lending to its name. The stone's surface color is comprised of white, gray, blue-gray and black flecks. Rather than having veins of color like some stones, Blue Pearl granite has a tightly flecked pattern of color.

Color Variations
Like any natural stone, Blue Pearl granite can vary in color from piece to piece and even within one piece. Some slabs or tiles may be closer to silver in tone, while others may have more of a blue cast. Blue Pearl may have large sections of black, white or silver concentrated in one area, rather than a tightly packed pattern throughout the surface. It is not uncommon to find slabs of Blue Pearl granite that have large splashes of black quartz within their surface, or to find slabs that are lighter at one end that at another.

Types
Blue Pearl granite can come in different shades depending on where the stone has been quarried. Blue Pearl GT is one of the brightest and bluest of the stones, and therefore one of the more expensive. Marina Pearl is a variation that is closer to silver or gray in color than blue, while Royal Blue has a lighter background color characterized by deep blue crystals in its surface.

Honing
Like all granites, Blue Pearl can be honed to have a flat, matte finish rather than a polished finish. This process will produce a duller, more muted color than the polished stone would have. Honing will also show more fissures, or natural cracks in the stone, that polishing would hide, since the large amounts of mica in the stone will lead to more fissures. Honing of Blue Pearl will also bring out the stone's blue color since the pearlescence will be muted, showing more of the deeper colors. For this reason, honed Blue Pearl granite may have a darker and more sedate appearance.