Yellow River Granite

Yellow River Granite is a complex stone that is loved for its detailed and mesmerizing patterns. It is quarried in Southern Brazil and is occasionally called Golden Ridge Granite and Golden River Granite. Its stunning golden yellow colors make it a great choice for kitchen countertops and splashbacks. Lets learn a little more!

As this stone has quite a high level of variation within it and it can have a variety of appearances when viewed from afar. It will generally be somewhere between a light golden cream and a warm honey yellow color overall. Its appearance will be incredibly busy and many long mineral veins and complex mineral deposits will be easy to spot even from afar.

Despite it being mainly hidden by the vast amounts of mineral deposits that are present in the stone the bedrock of this granite is actually a very light cream. It can vary slightly in color occasionally appearing to be a light honey color in places.

Large patches of a light brown mineral make up the bulk of this stones mass. They can range from a very light brown through to a muddy chocolate brown in places. These minerals can vary in size from small isolated patches through to long winding veins that cover the entire length of the slab.

To complement the light brown minerals there are also some copper or honey brown minerals. These are usually much less frequent than the light brown minerals and can also be found in long winding veins or little mineral “islands”.

The most striking color present in this granite is without doubt the awesome blue minerals. These minerals are usually a light deep blue color that has tones of grey. – But they can occasionally be a very deep navy blue and sometimes a light grey blue. They add a great splash of color to the whites, browns, and creams in the granite and are really quite stunning indeed.

White quartz minerals are also scattered throughout the stone. These little crystals are almost lost in the complex swirling patterns and strong colors of the stone. However when the light glistens off of them they create a stunning sparkle and shine to the stone which adds an additional sense of luxury – to an already luxurious stone.

Occasional little veins and spots of a black mineral will also usually be present. This is the least common mineral in the stone and it usually appears in thin small veins.

This granite has been classified as having a very high level of variation. When we write these guides we usually like to give a rough approximation of how much of the stones surface will be covered by all the minerals we list. Well unfortunately with a granite as diverse as this one it is not really possible and any figures we could give would be guesses at best.

You can be certain that the stone will have an overall creamy golden color – but apart from that the rest is anyone’s guess. Huge veins of the blue mineral can dominate a slab where as others can have nearly none. Some slabs can have none of the dark brown mineral and others can have so much of it that the stone looks more gold than cream. And this is just the tip of the iceberg…

All we can really say is that it is imperative that you inspect a slab of this granite before you purchase it. A photo will possibly be good enough – but if at all possible you should really make every effort to see it in person.

To add to the confusion, depending upon the mineral content of your slab and its appearance – it can look very different in rooms with different lighting conditions. Darker rooms will generally make the light browns and the bedrock seem more uniform and will make the darker browns more pronounced. The blues will seem more grey and the whites will be slightly lost among the bedrock. These are not disastrous differences – but just bear it in mind. The brighter your kitchen, the more exotic and pronounced your countertops or splashback will feel.

One great thing about this granites light color and complex patterns however is that it is exceptionally good at hiding fingerprints and dirt. You will not need to do any of the additional cleaning that is occasionally associated with granite countertops. It is not known to stain very easily and will not scratch or chip providing it is treated with care.

 

How Much Does Yellow River Granite Cost?

Due to its exotic appearance and stunning beauty this is a granite that is in very high demand – and as such is priced as a premium granite. A 3cm thick slab of Yellow River Granite will cost you between $65 and $75 per square foot. A 2cm thick slab will cost around $50 to $60 per square foot.

Again due to the wide variation in this granites appearance it is hard to give our opinions on what types of kitchen décor it will complement! Below are our rough approximations of how the room will feel – but your best bet is to look around at some pictures online. Take a look at stone vendors websites to ensure you are actually seeing the correct granite as many people mislabel their images and doing a google image search may not be accurate (its good, but not that good!)

With white cabinets you can be sure that the countertops will complement the white wood and be a great addition to your kitchen. The bedrock will not blend in and will almost slightly contrast with them.

With natural wood or medium stained cabinets the bedrock will blend in and flow with cabinets and allow a natural and flowing feel to the room.

When you combine Yellow River granite with dark cabinets they will again slightly contrast and slightly complement the cabinets colors. They will be quite pronounced as the countertops will be lighter than the cabinets – but should tie in slightly thanks to the darker minerals.

If you like the dramatic colors and patterns in this granite – you should take a look at Lapidus granite and Fusion granite too. They are great stones with a similar feel to them as yellow river.

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