The Story of Engraved Stones

Stones are an ancient and immortal presence.  Encased within them, we have found fossils from the very beginning of life on Earth.  With stones, we have built monuments that have lasted hundreds of generations--monuments that will be here long after we are gone. 

Humans have found a way to make their mark on stones for thousands of years.  The earliest humans used to chip at stone to make sharp points for hunting.  For centuries, the time-and-labor intensive hammer-and-chisel process reigned.  But with modern technology, we have begun to carve stones more beautifully and more deftly than before. 

Our stones are hand-engraved in a careful, delicate process.  Stone engraving is a craft that has been developed over centuries, the secrets being passed on from father to son and from master to apprentice. 

We treat all of our stones with care and respect, for we see them as ancient and everlasting tokens of love and friendship.  These stones are not temporary knickknacks that will break or wear away, they are keepsakes that can be passed down and cherished for generations. 

The process of engraving stones is a blend of artistry, craftsmanship, imagination, and technology.  Through the process, we feel we add to the natural magic of the ancient mineral. 

First, we select only the strongest, most beautifully colored and nicely shaped stones to be engraved.  Our engravers are skilled artists, technicians, and stone experts. Their trained eyes match the right stone with just the right engraved image to create an end result that is fun and meaningful. 

When it comes to engraving a stone, the image or words are just as important as the stone itself.  We are always brainstorming, creating memorable designs and coming up with clever and heartfelt words that will capture and express just the sentiment or memory you are seeking.   

All of our products must be hand-prepared for engraving.  We wash them carefully to make sure they are smooth and without any imperfections.  All of the larger stones are hand engraved.  We apply a rubber stencil over the stone, carefully beating at it with a rubber mallet to remove air bubbles from beneath the stencil.  Next, we gently remove the rubber in the parts we want to engrave in a process we call “weeding”.  The stone is ready to be sandblasted.

Sandblasting was patented in 1870, and since then, it has become the most popular way to engrave stones.  In the process, a machine uses air pressure or water pressure mixed with abrasives to shoot sand out of a nozzle at such amazingly high speed that it will wear away at the stone quickly and cleanly.

An expert engraver holds the stone within a sandblasting cabinet and uses the sandblasting hose to carefully aim at the parts of the stone that are exposed.  The nozzle is like their paintbrush, and the stone, their easel.  The engraver blasts the stone until it is engraved at the correct depth and is suitably carved.  Then the carved picture in the stone is spray-painted to bring out the image more vividly. 

Next, the carver gently removes the rubber covering the stone.  The stone is carefully hand washed to remove all of the rubber adhesive.  The engraved stone is then cleaned and ready to be enjoyed for years to come. 

Some of our smaller stones are engraved in a machine process that ensures their quality, since their designs are smaller and more difficult to achieve.  In this process, 12 to 18 stones are covered with a rubber stencil held by a metal frame and sent through a sandblasting machine.

These stones are also given the careful hand washing and polishing that all of our stones receive. 

Whether hand-prepared and hand-carved or hand-prepared and machine-carved, each of our stones is a work of art that will last forever.  Any message carved in stone, is a message that will last for eternity. 

Tell your loved ones you will love them forever.