Working in the stone industry, we occasionally find ourselves learning things that are very interesting, but aren’t exactly in our wheelhouse.
Curling is one of these things.
Curling, is a winter sport that was originally played in medieval Scotland. You’ve probably seen it during the winter Olympics, where it made intermittent appearances for almost a century, until it was finally added to the official program in 1998. It is played on a strip of ice – called the sheet – 45 meters long by 5 meters wide. At either end of the sheet there are circles – called houses – that look like targets, which are where scoring takes place.
Typically played by two teams of four, players take turns sliding granite ‘stones’ down the sheet into the house. Scoring is calculated by how close the stones are to the center of the house. The granite stones weigh around 40 pounds, are at least 4.5 inches tall and can have a circumference of up to 36 inches. Each team uses eight of these stones per match.
Curling stones are made of granite from only two quarries in the world: one on the Scottish island of Ailsa Craig and the other in Wales. Curling stones require this rare granite because it has low water absorption, which prevents the actions of repeatedly freezing and thawing from eroding the stone.
The things we learn!
We don’t have any curling stones in our showroom, but we do have a huge selection of natural stones and quartz from around the globe and the knowledge about them to help you choose the right stone to suit your taste, your budget and your new home improvement project.
Explore the many stone options to choose from: granite, soapstone, quartzite, marble or quartz from The BGE Quartz Collection, download our worksheet to note the stones and colors you like most and then plan a visit to our showroom to see the stones in person.
Visits are by appointment only and comply with all current health recommendations including mask compliance to ensure your safety and the safety of our staff. We’re looking forward to your visit and helping you kick off 2021 by moving forward on your kitchen renovation.