Like all natural stones Black Galaxy can and does vary in appearance and physical structure with natural veins a common feature within the material. Once again, these can broadly be divided into four types as follows:

• 1. Slabs and tiles clean of any veining
• 2. Slabs and tiles with one vein line
• 3. Slabs and tiles with two vein lines
• 4. Slabs and tiles with three vein lines or more

It must be stated that the vein lines do not affect the integrity of the material. They are natural hence they cannot be removed.

The presence of natural veins exists in nearly all the quarries, and considering that the recovery rate of the material has been poor, this has pushed up the cost of quarrying quite considerably. However the past few years has seen the Chinese purchasing many of the smaller blocks, many with veining, since they are not so obssessed with the Western culture of a "perfect" natural material. The Chinese now account for *5% of the purchases of small blocks.

Some blocks when viewed closley actually have a green tinge and slightly open veining in the background. Once more this does not affect the integrity of the material however this quality is usually valued slightly less and this quality particularly may need sealing when used for kitchen counter tops.

• SURFACE PITTING: Added *1st May ***7

All Black Galaxy has natural surface pitting owing to its petrographical composition and even after resining of the material small pits and natural fissures may be evident. It is generally accepted that the the deeper in the quarry the blocks are extracted, say ****0 metres below ground level, that more pitting is found to exist in the blocks. Generally those quarries above ground level, ****0 metres, have less pitting in the processed slabs.

This is a totally natural occurence and if one's preference is for an absolutely perfectly smooth, gloss finish with no natually evident features, then selection of this material is not recommended.

It is thought that the pitting is not caused by the Bronzite specks but by sand/mud holes formed when the magma flowed across the land and cooled down. The pits are generally very smooth and it is extremely difficult for resin to attach itself to the surface.

Taking all the above information into account, it is clear that for large contracts a considerable saving may be made by using pre-dimensioned materials with an acceptable colour and variable veining.