The paradox of choice is a relatively well-known phenomenon in which the amount of variety can make it harder for you to make a final decision. A commonly used example is what you feel when you stare down a wall of cereal brands at the grocery store; you can feel like you have no idea what to choose because there is just too much, instead of finding decisions to be easier because you supposedly have more options. This paradox extends to anything where you have a lot of options, including decorative stone quarries. Yet there are ways to handle all that variety well; they just take a bit longer and use a little more effort than merely looking through a catalog.

Make Multiple Trips

You'll need to make multiple trips specifically to just look and touch. Plan on not making a final decision; what you want to do during these trips, in addition to seeing what your options are, is to narrow down your list of potential finalists and double-check your impressions of each stone. You know how, when you see something like a new apartment, your memory of the place can shift a bit, so that maybe you're remembering the rooms as being bigger than they really are? The same can happen with decorative stone, so returning to the quarry again and again helps keep each choice's impression accurate in your mind.

Can You Take Home Samples?

If the quarry allows you to take home small samples of a few stone types, do that when you have narrowed down your choices to just a few. Look at the samples in different lights, from sunlight to compact fluorescents indoors. Also try to handle the samples on days with different weather; for example, if you're looking for stone tiles for an outdoor patio, you'll want tiles that are comfortable to walk on when the weather is both warm and cold. If the weather stays annoyingly consistent when you try to check that out, at least try to handle the samples at different times of the day, when temperatures could vary more.

Keep Refining Your List of Desired Stone Qualities

Keep expanding your list of the qualities you want in the stone you choose. As you specify what you want more and more, that should help narrow down your options until you have the one you really want.

Decorative stone is sustainable and strong, and it is available in so many styles that you could feel overwhelmed when you step into that quarry. Be methodical, and you'll find what you need.