Kat Coleman, owner and principal of Long Beach, California-based Topkat Design Group, reminds clients that stone is a natural material so there needs be some tolerance. What some clients may view as imperfections in natural stone, Coleman calls “character.” “Nature is perfectly imperfect,” she reminds clients.

Vermont Verde’s original quarry is so impressively deep that it’s a tourist attraction. The walls of the quarry are dark green with white veining, and a pool of turquoise water sits at the bottom, 200 feet down.