Black Galaxy Star, Star Gate and Nero Assoluto
Three of the brightest examples of deep black granite
There are many different kinds of dark, black, black-brown and black-grey types of granite, although the best known and most popular of these are Black Galaxy Star, Star Gate and Nero Assoluto. Perhaps they shouldn’t be compared to one another and, of course, every opinion and comparison is highly subjective, but let’s look at what is similar and different in these stones.
Granite is known to be an igneous rock with a granular structure (granum – grain, in Latin), consisting mainly of quartz and feldspars. The colour of granite may vary greatly, ranging from white, yellowish and pinkish (including reddish) tones to grey, green, bluish-grey, brown and black. Granite varieties also differ in terms of their pattern, which can be more uniform, clearly spotted, with flowing lines, but also resembling leaf-chips. Exactly what granite is depends mainly on how and where it was formed, as well as the minerals contained within a specific variety.
Here is a longer post on granite varieties and colours!
Plusses of granite:
* incredibly strong – one of the strongest natural materials,
* hygienic – its low porosity surface is easy to keep clean, a polished granite worktop does not absorb liquids,
* long-term investment – resistant to blows and scratches.
As a stone, granite has been a symbol of status and strength for thousands of years. Just like marble, granite has found extensive use in buildings and the creation of sculptures. Therefore, it can be said that granite is a classic material in both construction and interior design. This is so in terms of details, either as a windowsill or fireplace mantel, but certainly also as a worktop. A worktop made from granite is easy to clean, and granite worktops are also relatively impact and heat resistant.
The prevalent trends in interior design also support the use of granite as a material for worktops. Both industrial and so-called Scandinavian styles are minimalist, and the combination of black and white with shades of grey is something you can never go wrong with. One recommendation on how to give a black and distinguished granite worktop an impressive appearance is to balance it with lighter, warmer tones and materials – for example, light walls and wooden floors or cabinets. This creates a contrast and allows for the worktop to stand out.
Colourful accessories are a good way to add spice to a dark granite surface. In a kitchen with a dark grey and black surfaces, kitchen appliances, lamps and utensils could also be more colourful. The result can be made even more beautiful with the use of spotlights that make the stone shine, a bowl of colourful fruit or an exotic flower.
A black granite kitchen island looks impressive in any kitchen, but it also plays a practical role, serving as an additional table or storage space. But if the decision has already been made to buy a black granite countertop in particular, which one out of the most popular should you choose?
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Elegant and dignified polished black granite
Black Galaxy Star is a unique black granite from India, characterized by pyroxene (enstatite) crystals. These bronze and gold dots are the reason why the granite mine near Chimakurthy, in Andhra Pradesh, is more widely known. The mine is located on an area covering approximately 160 hectares, with there being about 50 quarries, most of which are located below ground level. Despite the modern equipment being used, the number of good sites is limited and the appearance of granite varies considerably. The quality of Galaxy Star is determined by the density of the pattern, its uniform even distribution / location, and the size of the golden dots.
As regional know-how has evolved with the experience gathered over the course of decades, Indian granite is no longer exported in blocks, with the vast majority instead being cut into slabs on site.
Nero Assoluto (also known as Absolute Black and Negro Zimbabwe) is a black granite of South African origin, which has been mined in the Mutoko region of Zimbabwe since the 1970s. Nero Assoluto is a very strong stone, even in the granite category, and a polished worktop is a smooth as a mirror and shiny black. Stone blocks arriving from the mine are not processed, with most not being cut into slabs, as the stone industry in the region is not very developed. The granite is transported through Mozambique’s Port of Beira, with Italian specialists mainly contributing their granite processing know-how. Since Nero Assoluto is of low-porosity and has a very low water absorption coefficient, it is also frost-resistant and suitable for use in outdoor kitchens, barbecue areas and terraces.
Star Gate (also known as Stargate, African Galaxy, Cosmos, and Cosmos Black) also comes from southern Africa, from a quarry located near Mt. Darwin, Zimbabwe. The granite is characterized by silver crystals, dots and spots, which make the black background shine like a starry sky.
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