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What we carve
Custom Commission & Stone Restoration Work
The jobs that do not fit a category — enlargement from a scale model, replication in a different stone, or a damaged carving that needs assessing rather than replacing.
A fair share of the work that comes through the workshop does not belong to any of the other three lines. A designer with a scale model that needs to become three metres of stone. A family with a memorial carving damaged in transit. A building with a worn architectural element that has to be matched. An artist who works in another material and wants one piece in stone.
These are assessed individually. We look at the original — or the model, or the drawings — and tell you honestly what can be saved and what has to be re-cut. If the answer is that it is not worth doing, we will say that too, before you spend money on it.
- Enlargement from a maquette or scale model, with the scale ratio agreed before work starts
- Replication of an existing piece in a new stone, including matching of surface finish
- Repair and re-cutting of damaged surfaces, with the join planned to read as natural tooling
- Written condition assessment before any work begins on a restoration
From the workshop
Work in progress on this line
Practicalities
Specification at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Enlargement | From a maquette or scale model, typically at agreed ratios such as 1:5 or 1:10 |
| Replication | An existing piece re-cut in a new stone where the original is damaged or the stone is unavailable |
| Restoration | Repair of chipped, eroded or broken surfaces; re-cutting of lost detail |
| Assessment | Written condition assessment supplied before work starts, stating what can and cannot be saved |
| Sourcing | Where the original stone is out of production, we propose the closest available match and say so plainly |
| Third-party models | Models in clay, resin, plaster or foam accepted |
| Pricing | Quoted after review of the original, the model or the drawings |
Questions we get asked
I have a scale model — can you enlarge it?
Yes, this is routine work. Send the model, tell us the finished size you want, and if there is a surface finish to match. We will confirm the enlargement ratio in writing and, for anything large, model the head or the key feature at full size first so you can check the character before the block is committed.
Can a damaged carving be repaired invisibly?
Rarely invisibly, and anyone who promises that is overselling. What we aim for is a repair that reads as honest tooling rather than a scar — the join placed along a natural line, the finish matched to the surrounding surface, and the new stone selected to age in step with the old. On a memorial or heritage piece we will always recommend assessing before committing.
Will you tell me if a job is not worth doing?
Yes. If the stone cannot hold the detail you want, if the timeline is not physically possible, or if a repair will cost more than a replacement and look worse, we say so at the quoting stage. That is a cheaper conversation than the one after a deposit.
Do you work from another artist's original?
We do, provided the rights are yours to grant — a designer's model, an architect's drawing, a sculptor's maquette. We are the workshop, not the author of the design. Where the work is carved to another artist's original we credit them in our own records and stay out of any claim to the authorship.
How to start
Send a photograph or drawing of the subject, the finished height you want, your preferred stone if you have one, and the destination port or city. If you would rather talk it through first, email us at sales@yantangstone.com and we will ask for what we need.
Send us the reference, and we will tell you what is possible
We would rather say no at the quoting stage than take a deposit for something the stone cannot hold. Send your reference and we will give you a straight answer.