Hearth stone types...ideas?

[fishboat]

I'm in the process of designing the finish work portion of a burner installation and I'm focusing on the hearth for the moment. The unit will be a black/black cast Bis TraditionCE high-eff fireplace. I'll need 18 inches out from the face (minimum). Width will be 50-60 inches. I think the standard light-colored cultured hearth stone looks a bit dull. I've considered slab NY bluestone, though that may require using multiple landscape blocks (18 x 36) cut to size. I've seen some really nice flagstone, but I'm not sure how much a good mason can do to minimize any grout work.

The vertical portion of the finish work will be brown/rust/gold/tan drystack-ledgestone.

Any ideas?

Slate (too soft, scratches easily?), soapstone(too blue-ish & dark?), honed granite(not sure it would look right?)

??

 

[JohnnyBravo]

slate is quite soft compared to other stone finishes however it is available in all sorts of sizes. the last one i got was 5' x 7' quite heavy but nice finish. i have also experamented with concrete. you can make forms and line them with big leaves. the come out looking like fossils. you can add colour to the cement and use crazy agragaite like broken glass.