Oh, marble counters.  We love your clean lines, your elegance, your smooth coolness.

We do not love your price, your hyper-sensitivity, and feeling like we have to tip-toe around you to keep you pristine.

We've always put up with your not-so-stellar qualities because you brought an unrivaled beauty to every room we put you into.  We warned our clients that you're beautiful but fickle, and that they might have to choose between you and, say, using lemons ever again.

But, we have news, marble counters.  We were at an event recently, and we met someone else.  This material reminds us of you, but it's more durable and depending on your design aesthetic, maybe an even better match for a modern kitchen.

Would you believe the counters you see here are quartz?

It's true!  One of our favorite manufacturers, Cambria, has just introduced a line of marble-like quartz and it's really taken our breath away.

Until now, it's been difficult to get that coveted white-and-grey marble-y look in anything other than marble, but Cambria has raised the bar.

This quartz also comes in nice thick slabs and it maintains the non-porous, anti-stain, easy case qualities we've all come to know and love about this material.

Don't worry too much, marble counters.  You're still the only natural stone that manages to be both organic and minimalist, cool and warm, bright and subdued.

But you're not the only game in town any more.