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21304 – 10oz Bowlder from Mountain Music Winery Farm in Thornton New Hampshire
$165.00
We made this rock Bowlder from a fieldstone that we hand-gathered at the farm listed above. Each stone’s provenance and artisan is permanently labeled on the underside, and the tag records the serial number so we recommend setting it aside.
Artisans carved and polished the rock with diamond tools in our Lowell, MA studio. Now you can use this artwork to serve dips and nuts, as a bucolic design element, a table centerpiece, a place for jewelry or as a resting place for other treasures.
1 in stock
Bowlders most often begin as freshly “grown” fieldstones that American Stonecraft sustainably hand-harvests at working farms. Each rock is unique in shape and color, comprised of metamorphic granite. Artisans craft each Bowlder from scratch in our Massachusetts studio using custom tools. The stone is transformed from a dull rock into a piece of art with impossibly brilliant color. This color is not the result of an outside product or lacquer, but of skilled grinding and polishing, smoothing away all roughness up to a 10,000 grit. Bowlders also retain the natural “live” edge from the stone’s glacial tumbling.
All Bowlders are protected with a permanent food-safe (EU testing) seal that penetrates any microscopic pores to prevent staining and allow for easy cleaning with soap and water. Farm-provenance and your artisan is permanently labeled on the underside of each Bowlder. Cork feet are included in the box and can be applied to the underside of your Bowlder to protect delicate surfaces. Each item arrives packaged in an American Stonecraft gift box with your personalized gift note, if applicable.
NOTE
Fieldstones being natural, have minor, non-structural fissures, pocks, scratches, chips, and other superficial flaws that we affectionately call beauty marks.
All product photos of a particular product type (ie Food Slabs or Coasters) are photographed from the same distance with the same lens. Therefore, you are welcome to compare size and shape from listing to listing as they are a representative scale. Each wooden slat is 3″ wide.
THE FARM–TO–TABLE STORY
About 8,000 years ago, icy glaciers pushed boulders into the soil of America’s Northeast. As a result, a fresh crop of rocks ‘grow’ each spring when the winter’s freeze-thaw cycles force buried stones upward, a process called granular convection.
In the 1890s, before the railroads opened up rock-free farmlands in other parts of the United States, farmers removing stones from their fields piled them into what eventually became 215,000 miles of stonewalls, a distance greater than from the earth to the moon!
These stonewalls became the folklore of poets like Robert Frost, and the landscape of the Northeast United States. Because clearing rocks is never complete, American Stonecraft partners with working farms to sustainably harvest their fresh rocks and transform them into functional heirlooms. Not only does this endeavor share geology that has never been seen before, but it helps support working farms, preserving open space and protecting the stonewalls that are so iconic to this region.
Like many of us, the founder of American Stonecraft, Gerald Croteau, fell in love with these archaeological stone ruins as a youth. However, he became an economist and founded American Stonecraft in his late 20s after seeing the inside of a fieldstone for the first time. He was amazed at what he had overlooked for so long, and realized that there was a sustainable supply of these rocks that farmers could share at their farmstands. Diamond tools (being a relatively modern invention) revealed amazing colors, patterns, and geologies in the humble New England farm-gathered fieldstone that he wanted to help share with others!
Gerald rolled up his sleeves, spent several years as an independent craftsman touring at local arts and crafts shows, and taught himself how to make a number of fascinating products. We are now a small team of artisans, and each piece is signed by its maker(s), and produced under Gerald’s direct supervision.
| Weight | 8.7 lbs |
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| Dimensions | 8 × 7 × 2.75 in |
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- Hand wash a Bowlder with warm water and dish soap
- Use as a serving bowl, or bucolic accent
- Safe (and recommended for!) chilling in fridge or freezer
- Not designed for microwave, dishwasher, or oven use
- Orders $40 and up ship free. Otherwise shipping is a flat $10 for addresses in the contiguous U.S., with no limits on the number of items per order for either option.
- Orders arrive safely, and we pack your orders with care and attention. Pricing information is never included in the package, and receipts are only sent to the purchaser.
- We aim to process orders received by 10 am EST Monday - Friday by the following day. We strive to ship your order fast so you get it ASAP but we do this by hand, but Gerald (also the person writing this) is the person doing the shipping too.
- Orders ship from Lowell, MA either USPS or UPS. Transit time via USPS is typically 1-2 business days, and occasionally 3 business days for destinations farther from our Massachusetts studio. UPS shipments, typically heavier items or orders going across the country, may take 4-5 days.
- You will receive a tracking number for your package via email when we ship the item. Check your spam folder if this email is missing.
- We use recyclable green packaging and kraft paper void fill. This does not sacrifice the safety of your item. You can also compost the boxes once you remove any plastic tape. Boxes are branded by hand with a hot iron. Smell them!
- International Shipping is available. Please email the product Serial Number you would like to purchase and your destination address so we can quote the cost.
- If you wish to make a return or exchange from a website purchase, please contact us within two weeks of your purchase to initiate the process. Exchanges are no charge, we will send you a return shipping label, so save your packaging. Returns must be approved prior to shipping and are subject to a $20 fee. We will email your return shipping label and all items must be packaged in original packaging for safe transit back to Massachusetts.
