Stone-cutter : our trade
The company La Pierre Qui Vole implements your projects in hand-crafted stone.
Our team of experts help to elaborate your projects whether they are new creations or copies.
A project in stone involves several stages :
Definition : description and use
We begin by collecting your details for the quality and design of the desired object. Together we draw up a technical definition of your stone project and outline the characteristics of the object for an initial draft.
Elaboration : definition and complications
The elaboration takes into account how and with which materials we are going to carry through the project. The estimate and the order follow.
Conception : design, samples, model
We begin the search for the appropriate stone block for your project. We propose designs, stone samples, measurements, sketches. The suitable combinations are decided upon, measurements are taken and we create the template.
Completion: the actual chiselling and fashioning of the stone
The final product requires:
- expertise in stereometry (the measurement of solid bodies),
- collaboration with partner companies for certain carvings and their locations,
- appropriate tools for chiselling the selected stone,
- skills in carving the stone to the required design and size,
- expertise in all aspects of the trade,
- rigorousness in providing you with the exact desired object.
(move the mouse over terms to see explanation)
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The workshop La Pierre Qui Vole offers advice and guidance in the first two stages and completes the project as a whole.
These different steps allow us to give precise form to your project; anything can take shape from a vague idea to a simple inclination. Please take a look at our exhibition gallery which may help with inspiration and ideas.
For any information, go in the contact part.
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Objects we can conceive
- stylish fireplaces,
- massive and/or self-supporting staircases,
- engraving,
- sculptures,
- fountains,
- pillars, columns,
- ornamented capitals,
- vaults,
- garden architecture
- ...
Objects in gallery are often cut out of white stone of the south of France, but they can be conceived in stones of various origins.
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Stone, the element of the cutter
Stone has been with us since time immemorial
Its structure reflects the memory of our world
Its forms mirrors our history
Its force challenges the builder
Its beauty inspires the artist and enchants the aesthete
Every region has its stone, there are vast varieties of stone.
From the softest limestone to the coldest marble, stone is classified according to an AFNOR identification number which characterizes as a whole the different qualities of stone.
This numbering from 0,5 to 14 is based on three criteria :
- volume mass
- sound on impact
- surface hardness
The richness of the strata, the variety of the quality of the extracted stone and the number of working quarries make France the leader in the extraction of limestone for the building industry.
Dressed stone has always been the most appreciated material in the building industry, renowned as much for its characteristic features as for its lasting quality.
The improvement in the cost of production makes the provision of stone a very competitive business, for cut stone blocks, for flag facing as well as for handcrafted stone work.
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Different types of stone
Limestone is carbonated sedimentary rock composed mainly of calcite. It may also contain dolomite or other minerals.
Limestone corrodes when in contact with acid.
The formation of limestone is mainly the result of human activity, direct or indirect activity, and the accumulation of skeletons, shells, bottom rock formation important in the study of stratigraphy.
Limestone contains a number of fossils that produce rock formation in stratigraphy.
In France, calcareous rock is abundant in the large sedimentary basins, Paris, Aquitaine and in the young mountain ranges and their fore-countries (Jura, Alps, Provence, Pyrenees…)
The main regions in France for stone extraction are Oise, Lorraine, Burgundy, Ain, Provence, Perigord, Charente and Poitou.
| beaulieu |
beaulieu : yellow calcareous stone, large grain, very resistant to frost
caberan : creamy-white calcareous stone, changing grain, used for massive objects, different shelly qualities
estaillade : greyish-white calcareous stone, regular grain, used for coating or facing
espeil : greyish-green stone regular grain, very resistant
Lens stone : whitish-beige calcareous stone, very fine grain, for carved and decorative elements
pont du gard : orangey-yellow calcareous stone, shelly, used in massive constructionsn
tervoux : pierre calcaire blanche, grain tres fin, sculpture et pieces ornementees
burgundy stone : from greyish to beige in colour, flags
marble : all colours available, vases, sinks…
move your mouse over stone links to see details
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caberan |
| estaillade |
espeil |
| Lens stone |
pont du gard |
| tervoux |
Burgundy stone |
| marbre |
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Conditions of sale
- All our products sold from our outlet in the south-east of France may be cut on site within a fifty kilometre radius from the Salon de Provence.
- Prices only include chiselled stone. Are not included:
- accessories to be selected (doors, taps, cocks and fittings, earthenware, pipes and fittings etc.) from our lists
- installation that we can undertake, estimate and insure
- Prices are calculated according to estimates : each project is based on a precise individual order :
- prices indicated on this web site are for objects in soft stone from the south of France
- 40% increase should be calculated for handcrafted stone, lens, espeil, or burgundy, which are all hard stone that must undergo transport before cutting.
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