Agate Platinum

Platinum is one of the quietest agates: gray rather than brown, with milky crystalline interiors and only occasional flashes of banding. In the With Silver version, silver inlay fills the spaces between the hand-fitted pieces, adding a faint metallic line in place of the warmth of gold. Up close, frosty crystal growth and a few rust-colored specks at the edges keep the surface from reading as flat or uniform.

The slab can line the wall behind a freestanding tub, top a dining table or, backlit, face the front of a bar, where the gray slices turn nearly white inside crisp dark outlines. A bar front or bath wall is produced to its drawn dimensions; pieces top out at 320 x 190 cm, and thickness runs from 0.6 to 4 cm, 2 cm being the norm. A neutral cleaner keeps the pale surface bright; abrasive pads are best avoided.

Where it works

• Backlit bar fronts
• Bathroom walls
• Dining table tops
• Decorative walls