Too early to tell, but I bought two from another respected supplier (white, veined marble) and loved the looks of it. I had difficulty turning it despite using some very sharp skews. I wound-up blowing the one of the barrels. I found that I had to apply too much pressure which surprised me given how sharp my skews were.
I still have the other blank and a very nicely finish upper barrel of a cigar pen.
At this point, I would not blame the blank.
It did finish very nicely though. Perhaps, carbide would have been a better choice...I don't know. I hope this helps.