Ships from Tucson, Arizona. This piece is held in our United States warehouse and can only be delivered within the United States.
One of a kind
Every carving is cut from its own block of rough. The photographs on this page show the exact piece you will receive — not a sample from the same batch.
Natural stone, untreated
100% natural stone, never dyed or reconstituted. Veins, inclusions and small shifts in colour are how the material formed; they are marks of origin rather than faults.
Carved by hand
Cut, shaped and polished by hand. Proportions differ a little from piece to piece because each one follows the block it came out of.
Checked and packed
Hand-inspected before dispatch and shipped in shockproof packaging.
Fire That Stopped
Its origin gives it the most direct traditional reading of any stone here: intensity that has settled without disappearing.
Kept where something has recently calmed down.
It Holds Things
The vesicles absorb oil and scent, which is a physical property that folk practice has attached meaning to.
A drop of oil on it lasts days.
Weight Without Mass
Light for its size but unambiguously volcanic, it carries grounding associations without the heft.
Carried rather than placed.
No Reflection
Unlike obsidian it gives nothing back, which is why the two are used for completely different subjects.
Set where you do not want another reflective object.
Why We Carve Skulls
The skull is the oldest symbol of transformation: what remains, what endures, what is left when everything temporary has gone. Carved in stone it reads less as death and more as clarity.
Turn it to face you when you want to be honest; turn it outward when you want to be left alone.