it sounds like you have a lot of shine going on already. I am not going to tell you what to do :) but I will say this... we have traditional finishes in our kitchen - stained wood cabs, slate floor, granite counters with no special finish. The one thing that seems to be the real "showstopper" whenever we show the kitchen to people is our glass tile backsplash. I LOVE how it glitters even in the low light when the undercab lights aren't on. I don't regret it for a moment - I simply love it, and it's attention grabbing without being "out there" or trendy.

What color is mandorla? is it white? I think the color matters here.

I think if you're in love with it you should make sure it won't work due to the shine before you cast it off.

Can you get a sample board? Or buy a returnable box? Maybe call the company if you don't have luck at the tile store and tell them you need a 2'x2' sample (or tiles that add up to that) to be sure.

Live with them. If your cabinets aren't finished, take them to a friends and prop them under the undercabinet lighting and see if the reflection is too much. Put them up with all your samples and flash really bright lights all over it.

And even if it's really shiny, then what?

Are they going to talk about you at the garden club? Impune your morals for being too flashy?

So long as you're happy with the way they look, so long as the reality of the shininess doesn't put you out of love with them, so long as anyone else with a say (i.e., has to live with them) doesn't hate them, go with what you love.

I've literally spent months waiting for the tiles I love. It's kind of sad really. I like a lot of other things. But every time I tried to throw over the beloveds and just get something equally lovely in so I could be done, I held a torch for my dearhearts. I'm not even sure it'll have been worth it in the end, but the love doesn't fade...

(Ptui!! I can't believe I'm waxing romantic about tile. Talking about beating a metaphor to death!!! But you get the idea...)

I think lighting makes a huge difference. In my kitchen the mandorla doesn't come off as shiny, but it could be because of the detail from the cap piece. The reefs are a little shiny, but I like some shine in my tile more than matte.

If it matches perfectly I'd go for it. It is not easy to find a backsplash you love. BTW, I don't think of stainless steel as shiny since it has a brushed finish to it.

What kind of hardware are you using? Matte or Shiny?

funyellow, madorla is an off-white with a grayish/taupe undertone, and goes perfectly with the off-white of my cabinets. It is crackled, and the crackles are a very light grayish color, that almost have a greenish tint, which goes really well with my granite, which is green (verde butterfly).
becktheeng, the hardware I have purchased, but I think I could maybe return, although I love it, too, is brushed nickel, so it is somewhat shiny. Same with the light fixtures, they are purchased but not yet installed, and they are brushed stainless. Those cannot be returned.

I think if I could find something I love equally as much as the Rixi tiles but in a matte finish, I'd choose the matte. But it's been a year of searching and the Rixi tile is the first one that is just perfect in every way (size, color, crackled, and just plain gorgeous) except the fact that they are shiny. It goes so well with my granite, which has a really busy pattern, and that has probably been the hardest part of finding a backsplash tile--finding something to go with this granite.

I will also be having undercabinet lighting installed, which, I assume, will maybe make them look even shinier?

Ugh, this by far has been the hardest decision to make!

Mybrowneyedgirls...I am in the same boat right now evaluating the Rixi tile. My problem is deciding between the Manderla and Crema for me. Some of my tiles even have a hint of sparkle from the crackle. In my opinion, there is so much dimension to these tiles that I like compared to the other crackle finishes I've evaluated. I plan on posting for some advice in the next couple of days with pics related to my color conundrum. I agree this is very difficult...i am pleased with everything in our kitchen remodel and don't want to blow things with the tile. I know I am going with the Rixi, however, in one form or other. Good luck!

Mybrowneyedgirls:

I have a Rixi backsplash in Agatha (green) and I don't think it is crazy shiny, though it does have some shine when the under-cabinet lights are on. But it's not a "glossy" shine -- like onelady said, it's a bit sparkly because of the crackle and isn't a uniformly shiny (or glossy) look.

Here are some pictures where it looks shiny (with lights on) and some with just natural light where it's not nearly as shiny.

With lights on:

(I haven't taken new pictures since I replaced the rug under the barstools -- and I still haven't replaced those barstools!!)

With natural light and much less shine:

I hope this helps you visualize Rixi in your kitchen.