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| All about Coral Limestone |
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If you’ve made it to this page, I’m assuming you’d like to know a little bit more about the stone I use to carve my pieces. I’ll be happy to answer that and perhaps some other questions you may have…
The stone I use to make all of my pieces is coral limestone. You may be wondering why it is that I use this stone, and to that I have a couple of answers…
First of all, coral limestone tends to be one of the softer stone types. Compared to granite, this stone is fairly soft. Of course, this does not mean that I can stick my thumbnail in it. No, it simply means that compared to other stones, this one is softer.
So why pick a softer stone as opposed to a much harder one like granite? Well, one of the reasons is that since I hand carve all of my pieces, it is just much easier on my hands to use a softer stone. Another one of the reasons that I use this stone in particular, is because I have a very steady and reliable supply of it.
Of course, the main reason I use this stone, is because of its texture as well as intricate and unique details. I love its porous nature and the fact that sometimes you can see fossilized marine creatures on the stone.
Here is a more scientific answer to what Coral limestone is…
What is coral stone?
Coral limestone is a form of limestone. Many marine animals, such as corals and shellfish, have skeletons or shells made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). When these animals die, their skeletons sink to the seafloor and accumulate to form large beds of calcium carbonate. As more and more layers form, their weight compresses and cements the layers at the bottom, forming limestone. Details of the skeletons and shells are often preserved in the limestone as fossils. The result after millions of years is coral stone. I should mention that no Marine Life is damaged or disturbed during product creation, since the quarry where I source all of my stone is above ground at this point. Of course, millions of years ago, I’m sure this was below sea level.
What is the process that goes into making each piece?
Depending on the piece, the process is slightly different and more or less time consuming. Some pieces take much longer to make than others while some pieces are fairly straight forward. The more intricacies and time resources a piece takes for my apprentices and I to make, the higher the price.
The overall process is as follows:
On Sundays, I go visit the quarry to pick out suitable stone blocks. These blocks are pre cut to a measurement of 8’ x 4’ x 4’. Once I’ve selected the stones I like, they are delivered to my facility the following morning.
Once the blocks arrive and are unloaded into my warehouse, I then have them sliced to smaller tile sized pieces, where they are much easier to work with.
After this, depending on the model we will be making, I put together the approximate amount of stone I will be needing. I then proceed to start cutting each tile sized piece into an even smaller more manageable size. At this point, I simply start gluing all of the pieces together with my special bonding solution.
After this process, I will have a fairly completed structure that just needs to have the detail carvings completed as well as polishing and sanding to smooth out any rough surfaces or defects.
Finally, I proceed to wash down the piece with a pressure cleaner to remove any glue residues or trapped dirt.
Of course, if I am creating or modifying a piece based on custom instructions, then the process may change slightly.
The whole process for me to make a piece by scratch can take several weeks, that is why to keep up with demand, I’ve had to begin training several apprentices that help me keep up with the demand for my work.
What my products are NOT… (very important that you read this)
My products are NOT made with cast stone. In case you do not know what cast stone is, let me give you the basic education.
Cast stone is stone that is made with synthetic materials. It is a form of concrete. Essentially it starts out in liquid form and can be used with moulds to create pieces.
For example, suppose that I were to make my mantels with cast stone, the process would require that I make a master mould out of my main mantel. Then, once the mold is made, I would simply pour in the cast stone mix and let it dry. The result would be a mantel piece that is ready to go. Of course this is the simplified version, but you get the idea. It is not made with real stone and instead it is a simple manufactured piece.
I do not use any casts or moulds to make any piece. In fact, if you make that comparison, I will get very annoyed, as I take it personal when someone assumes that I make my pieces out of cast stone.
Each one of my pieces is unique.
What are some of the benefits of investing in one of my products?
Not everyone will see the benefit of owning one of my products. Not everyone will appreciate my work and be willing to pay the price for my pieces. That is fine with me. I am not about pleasing everyone. If you are one of those people, I trust that you will very soon leave my website and go somewhere else. Please pardon me if I sound harsh, but nothing annoys me more than the people that can compare my pieces with a cheap imitation (cast stone or other synthetic material) and ask me for a discount! Believe me, I know how much work goes into each and every one of my pieces.
However… I know you are different... and you are not one of those people…
I know you are not one of those, because you are still here. So… since you are probably one of the people that fall in love with my style and work the minute you see it, then I invite you to invest in one of my pieces and enjoy the following:
Exclusivity
I like to start with exclusivity, because I personally like the finer things in life. I personally enjoy standing out from the crowd. I like adorning my home with unique items that will add to my personality. I believe that how we decorate our homes and the items that we put in them says a lot about someone.
I certainly like to spend money on my luxuries, especially on some things in particular. However, I do want to point something out… I certainly do not like to brag or show off – but I do believe in displaying with material things to other people that I like exclusivity.
For me there is no better way to do this, than with furnishings for the home that (without explanation) tell everyone that you can afford and like the finer things in life. My personal home is full of art and things that look expensive even to the untrained eye. These sort of pieces are usually full of intricate carvings and use natural materials.
In your case, after investing in one of my stone pieces, you will have a piece that will be easy for visitors to see its exclusivity and uniqueness. All you’ll have to do is point out that the piece was hand carved and is made with real stone.
It is not a mantel, base, or _______, but rather functional art.
I don’t like to say that I offer a dining base, a mantel, or whatever. No, I like saying that I sell art, because that is exactly how I feel. Look, every single one of these pieces will always be slightly different because of the nature of stone.
Unlike a cast stone product, no two of my pieces are identical. Each one has a little bit of character of its own. That is what makes them unique. They are all made by a person. An artist. They are all made by me – with the help of my apprentices. They are not made by a machine that cranks out hundreds of these.
This is one of the reasons why my partner and I decided to basically stop reselling my pieces and distributing them through resellers. I found that they were not being appreciated for what they were and the resellers were peddling them purely as just another commodity. Even though they were sold with a high end price, I still thought that the people buying the pieces were not being educated about everything that went behind making each one of these pieces.
When you invest in one of my pieces, you are investing in art. You are investing in a work of art that has a functional feature. This brings me to my next benefit…
You are investing in a conversational piece...
If you like having guests over, as well as hosting small parties or large ones, you know how important it is to have conversation starters in your home. Imaging having a small dinner party where there are guests all over in small groups. I guarantee you that some will comment on the stone piece.
When they do, they have opened up the possibility of you giving them some background information about the product. Before you know it, you may be having a great conversation about an unrelated topic that was started by one of my pieces!
A Timeless item…
Stone has been used in construction and in art pieces for thousands of years. What does this tell you? The timeless beauty of this type of item. My stone pieces are never going to get out of style. They are timeless. This is crucial if you buy a mantel for example.
If you buy a wood mantel with a particular design, it may look dated in a manner of years. A stone mantel is something that will blend in with just about any décor you decide to pursue.
Of course, this thinking is not limited to my mantels, but can also be said about my stone bases and other products.
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