Toros Black, Sirius Black or andesite
Toros Black is the main marble in this group. Its descriptions call it a deep charcoal black crossed by white and gray veins, and the amount of veining changes from block to block: one bowl shows bold white streaks, another a few fine lines or soft gray undertones. Sirius Black, used for a 16.5 inch round, has deep charcoal tones with gray striations, and some pieces look close to solid black. A few listings simply say black marble from Turkey, and the gondola and one plain 16 inch round are described with distinct white veining.
Andesite is a different kind of stone. It formed from cooled lava, so it has a fine, even grain and a charcoal color with little veining. Every andesite bowl here is honed, and the tapered round's description notes that the black deepens when wet. Choose marble for gloss and veining, or andesite for a flat, even black.
Round black marble bowls by size
Most of the black marble bowls are rounds. At 16 inches across they come in two heights, 5 and 6 inches. A 5 inch bowl keeps a lower profile on the counter, and a 6 inch bowl stands a little taller. The Sirius Black round at 16.5 inches and the Toros Black round at 17.5 inches both stand 6 inches high.
These rounds are polished inside and out, with one exception: a 16 inch Toros Black bowl with a semi polished finish, a soft sheen in place of a mirror gloss. Its description says water marks show less on it than on a fully polished dark surface. Walls on the rounds are listed at 2 to 3 cm thick, and the 17.5 inch bowl has no overflow hole, so its inside is one unbroken curve of stone.
How the 20 inch round compares
The GMStone 20 inch round is the widest of the round bowls. It measures 20 inches at its larger diameter and 16 inches at its smaller one, and it is 6 inches high, so it opens wide at the rim while its base stays close to the size of a 16 inch bowl. Its description offers it in two marbles, Toros Black with white veining or Carrara White with darker veining, both polished inside and out, and it lists the bowl for a kitchen counter as well as a bathroom vanity.
Combed and hand split exteriors on black marble
A combed exterior is worked into fine parallel grooves around the outside of the bowl. The grooves pick up light and shadow in thin lines, while the basin inside stays polished and glossy, so one piece of stone shows both a rough and a smooth face. Toros Black comes combed as a 16 inch round, in the 5 inch and the 6 inch height.
A hand split exterior is rougher. The outer wall is split by hand so it keeps the broken texture of raw rock, and on black marble that face shows white striations through the dark stone. Split face pieces include a 14x17 oval that is 6 inches high, a 17x17 free form bowl at 5 inches and a large free form basin at 31x23, each with a polished basin.
Gondola, octagon and free form vessel sinks
The gondola is a long bowl, 24 by 14 inches and 7 inches high, the tallest piece in this group. Its long sides curve up into rising ends with no hard corners, its polished black shows white linear veining, and it has no overflow ring. The octagon is 16 inches across and 5 inches high, with eight flat faces around the outside; each face catches light at its own angle, while the inside is a smooth, curved bowl. Free form means the outline follows no exact circle or square: the 17x17 and the 31x23 basins have irregular, sculptural edges paired with a split outside.
Matte andesite bowls
Andesite comes in three forms, all 6 inches high. A 16 inch round has a tapered profile that narrows toward its base, which takes up less counter space than a straight sided bowl. A 16 inch conical bowl has a sharper V shaped taper from a wide rim. A 20x33 rectangle is the largest andesite piece, a long matte basin for a wide vanity.
Round bowls in lighter stones are in round vessel sinks, the andesite rectangle also appears in rectangular vessel sinks, white and gray marbles are in marble vessel sinks, and every stone bowl is gathered in vessel sinks.
