A visit to a kitchen showroom nowadays will show you a dazzling array of quartz countertop designs and patterns that

remarkably mimic real marble and other natural stone. But quartz has come a long way! First appearing in Italy in the 1960s,

these countertops were developed—by combining ground quartz particles with resins into a slab—as an alternative to stone

that wouldn’t easily crack or break. While the resins added just enough flexibility to do the trick, early quartz

countertops were a dull-looking cream and tan. Cutting-edge improvements in solid-surface technology have pure color quartz stone

slab from functional to fabulous. With an abundance of finish choices and endless combinations of color and edge styles,

you’ll likely find something stunning that suits your home.