“ ‘Jet Black’ is a generic term for all different types of black. It can be from India or China and can be of any grade. No telling what you'll get when someone says ‘Jet Black’ unless you have experience with their material.”
“ ‘India Black’ is a generic term for any Indian black. No relevance to the quality. There are 6-8 grades of Indian Black, depending on who you ask. The cheapest is 30% less than the better grades. If someone comes and is offering you an Indian Black or Indian Jet Black for significantly lower prices than us, then make sure you know what you are getting.”
“This is the main reason I qualify our black as being ‘Premium India Jet Black.’
When we say premium, you are getting the premium grade material that has a 30- year history of usage in the monument industry and is backed by us. We can't afford to replace our stone, so we only offer one grade of black. Makes my life easier, even if we are a few percent points higher in price than others.”
“ ‘China black’ is a generic term for any Chinese black. There are 3-4 grades of Chinese black. The best being Shanxi Black, which is fairly expensive (relatively to other Chinese Blacks) and is difficult to get in larger than 4-0 length sizes.”
“ ‘Flash Black’ is South African black that many Elberton fellows stock to cut ‘rush’ jobs from. It is more of a medium dark black. It is ok material, somewhat expensive for what you get, and not as high grade as a premium Indian or Shanxi black.”
All black stone can be doctored. Both the Chinese and the Indians do it. I didn't believe it until I saw a few examples in my travels of unscrupulous wholesalers selling doctored black. Doctored stone will easily give away its color in anywhere between 6-18 months after being installed in the open.
“If someone is offering you a very dark, perfectly beautiful black that seems absolutely amazing in comparison to blacks you are getting from others, and if they are offering that to you at a 15-30% discount over reputable sellers, be careful.”
“The best way to learn about blacks is to see samples in the various blacks and actually have monuments made in the different blacks. Also talking to sandblasters and etchers, you can get an idea of the material. Consider talking to retailers experienced in working with black and other colors to get an idea of the quality.”
“It is very easy to fool people with black. Even I would have a difficult time telling the difference between our premium jet black and an inferior black that has been doctored. But after a year in the open, you can easily spot the cheaper blacks.”
“Caveat Emptor.”
So, that is an important view that needs to be considered by the memorialist. Know your vendor, and know your stone, and, as Pradeep says, “Caveat Emptor.”
