Every stone tells a story.
Approximately 1.4 billion years ago, there was a sandy coastline here.
The sand was brought here by the waves, and created layers on the floor
of the sea. Layers that now emerge as an attractive sedimentary structure
in the stone. Heavy downpours fell over the area, and it was very warm.
Iron was washed out into the sea and oxidized there, and one piece of
evidence of this is the reddish color of the Älvdal Quartzite. Because
it was here that Älvdal Quartzite was born. When you visit a quarry,
you can see how the edges of the stone take different angles. This depended
upon how the sea bottom was inclined when the stone was created.
Because of the large quantity of quartz in it, Älvdal Quartzite is
a very hard and difficult material. But its advantage is obviously that
the final product is extremely durable. One has to think very carefully
during the summer months when the blocks are being blasted loose. It requires
decades of experience to see what to do. With nearly surgical precision,
the cuts are made to remove the blocks so that the lines run the right
way. "You just have to read the stone right", said the quarry
boss as he looked out on a warm May morning. It is that simple.
It is just as simple to then cut up the stone. In order to attain exactly
the right angle in the edges, the stone is positioned with millimeter-precision
when it is sawn. In order to saw the hard Älvdal Quartzite, large
diamond blades and computer-supported control systems are required. It
is a remarkable experience to travel to Mångsbodarna and find -
there at the end of a gravel road in the middle of a forest - a high-tech
industrial production facility of the highest caliber.
But just the same. Every slab that is made by our production line is carefully
inspected by hand. Every product is checked by our experienced eye. The
mark of quality you find on the package is just as much an expression
of our pride of workmanship as it is a guarantee.
But not everything is done industrially. The spirit of the artisan lives
in each and every one of us, and in some of our products we find an outlet
for this joy. Hear the hissing sound when the stone is split using traditional
tools. See how the hewn surface emerges. Feel the chisel shift as it is
put to its task.
The moral of the story: technology can only facilitate and give support
to – not replace – human craftsmanship and knowledge.
That is our story.
