Rosa Sinai.

Finer in crystal than Red Aswan and lighter in tone, Rosa Sinai carries a pink ground with a bright mineral sparkle that shows most under a polish. At distance it reads as a warm neutral; up close the crystal structure does the work.

One practical warning comes with this stone. It is sold under two names — Rosa Sinai and Rosa Aswan — and it sits in a family where several Egyptian granites share a city. Specify the full name, and confirm it against a sample from the actual batch rather than a catalogue photograph. "Aswan granite" on its own is not a specification, and the confusion costs real money on site.

Polished for interiors and cladding, flamed or bush hammered where the surface has to hold a foot.