The Stone Age ended around 5000 years ago when our ancestors began fashioning tools from metal.
But stone is still an invaluable material used every day by millions of people around the world. You’ll find it in everything from solid buildings to beautiful sculptures and the notoriously heavy Atlas Stones used in The World’s Strongest Man competition.
If you like the tactile and technical qualities of this material, working with it for a living could be your next career.
To help you decide, here’s an overview of three rock star companies making money from stone.
1. Sparta Statues.
One place stone usually finds a welcome home is in our gardens.
And garden ornament supplier Sparta Statues has an amazing range of elegant rock effigies in diverse styles to suit any green space.
You can add a romantic touch to your garden with a grand Gothic mirror carved like a church window or build a meditation area around one of their amazingly lifelike Buddha statues.
But there are also anthropomorphic animals, renaissance angels and much more — so if your garden has a specific theme, then you’re in luck.
If you wanted to compete with this type of company, you’d have to prioritise quality — the items above set a high bar and aren’t found in every garden centre.
2. Stone Inspired.
Across swathes of countryside in Scotland and the north of England, it’s common to see sturdy stone barriers which, on close inspection, are held together using nothing but their builder’s ingenuity.
These are dry stone walls, and they aren’t secured with mortar — stones are carefully chosen by a craftsperson and slotted together skilfully in a strong structure.
The technique’s been used for thousands of years, but modern dry stone wall specialists Stone Inspired use the same age-old techniques to enhance contemporary property exteriors with curvaceous walls, terraced gardens and planters.
These artisans will adapt their materials and designs to suit modern and traditional homes or commercial premises — and the ends results look stunning.
To rival their offering, you’ll need to hire a time-served niche tradesman or earn your own apprenticeship in this discipline.
3. Marchington Stone.
If you work in the stone sector or are undertaking your own home landscaping project, finding a stone wholesaler will be a godsend.
And with a mind-blowing choice of products for construction, civil engineering and domestic applications, stone and aggregate experts Marchington Stone are hard to beat.
Providing everything from natural stone products to equestrian sand, they deliver across the UK — but their secret weapon is an in-house quarry producing high quality buff Derbyshire millstone grit.
Operating since 1970, this firm has a rock-solid reputation for quality products and customer care — valuable lessons for any would-be rival.
Follow these rock stars to gain a foothold in the stone industry and you could have a smash hit business on your hands.
Do you work in the stone sector? Share your thoughts in the comments.
