Stone masons and stone carvers
What a skill stone masonry is! The ability to cut heavy blocks of very hard material into something of beauty. A stone mason is not just an artist, he’s an engineer too in many cases. He has to work out how to move massive pieces of stone into the most awkward places. He has to construct scaffold; cranes and lifts to move his stone about. He has to make sure that the stone structure he is building is capable of supporting its own weight, and the weight of whatever may be put on it. In the case of architectural stone, (mullions, door surrounds etc,) he has to ensure that his stonework is up the job of being a structural component, and that he uses the right stone if it is exposed to bad weather.
There are a thousand factors that a mason has to consider. Even a simple stone fireplace is not really simple, as he has to make sure that it is suitable for the job.
Stone stairs are obviously VERY complicated! Just working out how they will fit is a highly skilled task. How many steps; how much ‘go’ and how much ‘rise’ and if it’s a curving stone staircase, then working out the angle of each step, so that the top one ends up in the correct place, is critical.
That is why a mason’s training never really ends. Throughout his whole career, he will be learning new tricks and skills that make this incredible art so complex.