Stonemasons in Our Modern Age

I've always had a strange longing to work as a stonemason. There's just something intriguing about working a profession that's been around and remained largely unchanged for thousands of years.

Stonemasons have one of those select few jobs that have withstood the test of time. Having fashioned the ancient pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome, stonemasons have one of those jobs that fills the mind with wonder.

I've always really wanted to build my own home. Being enchanted with antique and old-fashioned things, I've harbored the notion of hiring a stonemason to work with me and build a home out of stone. It surprised me to learn that very few buildings and constructed with stones as the foundational element in this day and age. Most stone structures don't meet with code for earthquake safety and other things, and so are only used as decorations on buildings. It's a strange thing to approach a beautiful building, maybe a courthouse, to see its marble glistening in the morning sunlight, and yet to know that the beauty of the stone is only a very thin covering, housing a framework of cement and metal and wood. But the modern age of skyscrapers has completely reinvented the ancient methods of stone-masonry.

Nowadays, a stonemason's work is relegated mostly to the outer landscaping of a home. Creating walkways and walls, stonemasons are seldom called upon to build actual buildings these days. Most modern structures are built with less costly materials, simple wood and drywall. The days of stone buildings are almost over.

Though stonemasons often work with some of the sturdiest materials, much of what they do is mere facade, adding outer finishing stones to the inner foundation of whatever is being built. In the old days, stones were often the foundation of structures being erected. Now, in order to preserve that old fashioned feel, other materials are used for support, and stones are added on for effect. It's odd how things have changed in that way.

Brickmasons, however, still have an active role in the construction of buildings, and can often be seen inlaying intricate designs into the sides of giant structures. Of all the modern buildings being erected, those built of brick are some of the most beautiful, I think. One would have expected that brick buildings would go the same path of stone-masonry. But in fact, many bricks are still a very viable supporting element for brand new buildings. The difference in cost must be the key factor.

Though my newfound information on the work of stonemasons has shown me that I most likely will never get to build my old-fashioned stone home, I've developed an even larger respect for the trade, which has evolved completely in our modern era to facilitate the demands of an ever changing world.


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