Charcoal Marquina Soapstone/ This beautiful soapstone (also known as Steatite) is a metamorphic rock that consists of varying percentages of talc, depending on the quarry from which it is sourced, some will have high %s talc resulting in a relatively soft stone that may scratch easily, lower %s of talc are harder and are more scratch resistant, this soapstone from Brazil is on the harder side, thus making it ideal for kitchen sink use. Marquina is very dense with 0% absorption, which means any staining will only be on the surface and can easily be removed, and its heat resistant.
Historically soapstone was commonly treated with mineral oil, (and most companies still recommend it, we dont) when applied the oil will darken the color to black, unfortunately treating with mineral oil makes absolutely no sense, because when soap and water are applied the oil will simply wash off, which means you would need to treat your stone after each wash! With todays technology, engineered sealers are food safe and provide much better results, most will last for a year or more. Keep in mind, a sealer is only needed if you want your stone to appear as black.