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Types of Stone and Material


Stone Inventory

We currently sell statues made from five different types of stone, each one offering its own unique qualities:

Black mountain stone (granite igneous)

Granite characteristics include strength and durability. This natural stone possesses a sleek, rich feel and is typically smooth to the touch. It is one of the oldest, hardest, and strongest stones available; a truly beautiful natural stone that exudes strength and longevity. Usually our granite pieces are light grey (some with a rose hue) in color with fine-grain pattern. However, since they are each cut from a different piece of stone, they vary in color and sometimes contain unique veins and textures.




Black lava stone (scoria igneous)

Igneous rock, also known as volcanic rock, is formed by the cooling of magma or lava. The lava stone typically chosen for our statuary ranges in texture and grain from fine to semi-coarse, and is then worked smooth by the artist’s hands. Most often this stone appears in rich, warm brown and black tones.





Green river stone (conglomerate sedimentary)

Conglomerate rocks are composed of fragments of pre-existing minerals and rock fragments. This beautiful, solid stone ranges in color from light brown to deep green and often has a complex, intricate grain structure containing a variety of stone strata, veins and webbing.






Limestone and Brexistone (sedimentary)

Sedimentary rock in large part is composed of calcium carbonate. Limestone is ordinarily white or creamy beige, but may be colored by impurities, such as carbon making it blue, black, or gray (like the grey layers often found in brexistone). The texture varies from coarse to fine; our statuary is worked to a smooth finish and typically has a very tight, fine grain. Limestone deposits are frequently of great thickness allowing for large, beautiful pieces of art.




Marble (metamorphic rock)

Metamorphic rock forms are composed of coarse crystals from parent limestone or dolostone rocks. Pure marble is white and composed of the mineral calcite, but there are many varieties that contain a range of gray, black and cream colors marbled in. The rich, luxurious stone has long been popular for sculpting and grand construction because of its beauty and relative softness.

 

 

Other Materials Represented in our Inventory

 

Composite Stone

Composite stone is a refined architectural composite material crafted from white and/or grey cements, natural sands, carefully selected crushed stone or well graded natural gravels and mineral coloring pigments to achieve the desired color and appearance to simulate natural cut stone, while maintaining durable physical properties. Composite stone is often used in masonry applications as an architectural feature, trim, ornament or facing for buildings or other structures, and can either be hand-carved from a preformed block or poured into a well-crafted cast mould.


Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy, with the main additive usually being tin or copper. This is a particularly hard and luxurious metal that was extremely significant in antiquity, enough to name the Bronze Age after the metal. Throughout history, bronze has been used for tools, weapons, armor, certain decorative building material, boat and ship fittings and sculpture.

 



Brass

Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is easily shaped, stamped and deep drawn. It has excellent forming and drawing properties and good strength. Brass containing different elements can differ in characteristics such as surface smoothness and ease and quality of sculpting. In general, brass is impervious to most common conditions. However prolonged exterior exposure and substantial abrasion can affect the surface finish and it tends to become more yellow when exposed to high temperatures. Brass has long been a favorite material for decorative items.



Suar Wood (Saman Samanea)

 Suar Trees, with the botanical name Saman Samanea, are easily recognized in Indonesia by their characteristic umbrella shaped canopy. This tree grows in many different countries, including Indonesia and Hawaii and usually reaches heights of 50 - 80 feet. Suar is a non-endangered and fast growing tropical hardwood. Suar has a beautiful crisscross, interlocking grain which reduces the possibility of cracking, called checking, that can occur when wood is exposed to climactic changes. This lustrous wood can range in color from warm reddish hues to deep, rich honey tones.
Suar wood is used frequently for large sculptures and furniture and compares favorably to woods such as Black Walnut.