Stone Embossing

The ability, technology, or in some circles, art of embossing stone has long since fallen through disuse to a loss of the ability to execute. Debossing, or carving, a stone surface has complete replaced embossing stone due to the level of difficulty and time needed to create effective products.

The Restful Exhibit Society originally favored stone embossing for its greater aesthetic in creating grave markers, signs and building adornments. However over the years its practice has fallen from those heights, is longer practiced even as a simple art form, and is not taught to apprentices as no masters of stone embossing remain.

Two notions contributed to the decline of the practice. First the time it takes to perfect a message embossed in stone is thirty times, or more, that needed to create the message using debossing or carving techniques. Second, embossed stone was susceptible to a high degree of wear over the centuries, eventually eroding these messages away into the smooth stone.

Note that embossing other media is still practiced, particularly with paper, where the effect is highly prized and carries a much lower expectation of longevity.

Utility

Stone embossing work was often used for exterior displays and was subject to high degrees of wear compared to carving. Eventualy its use was scrapped for the more durable and cheaper use of debossed stone.

Access & Availability

The society made embossed stone available to anyone at simlar pricing to carving. Eventualy the society realized that embossing was more expensive and began pricing it ata premium.

Discovery

Embossing of stone appeared around the same time as carving stone and for a number of years its use outpaced that of carving due to the high aesthetic value and readabilty from greater distances.