Welcome.
Sierra Hills Stone invites artists, educators, and hobbyists to discover sculpting in steatite! Located in California’s historic Gold country our headquarters are inside the old Angels Camp Railroad Depot . Our buildings are over 110 years old. Just visiting is plain fun!

Our gallery is open to the public 7 days a week from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm!
You can visit and watch artisans carving, creating jewelery, or perhaps making custom wood furniture from local woods.

We sell sculpture quality stone, carving tools and accessories, and offer classes and workshops in soapstone carving. Outside of Brazil, some of the most colorful, sculpture quality soapstone in the world is indigenous to Calaveras county!
Thinking of a new kitchen? We sell soapstone countertops and tile. The tiles can be used for flooring. Soapstone sinks are absolutely gorgeous. In addition to soapstone we can offer you most any natural stone for any of your projects.

Our California soapstone is mined locally from the lush Sierra foothills in an environmentally sound manner from the site of a former gold mine which has not been in use since the late 19th century, during the initial california gold rush. The gold in the mine was found in veins, surrounded by metamorphic rock formations. Once the mines closed down, artists began to see the beauty and potential in the rock formations in this area.

Soapstone is a safe, natural stone that comes in a variety of colors and densities. The lighter the color, the softer the stone. You will find that most countertops and tile are reserved for the darker tones of green and blue, while the lighter colors, gold and brown, are more suited for sculptures. Soapstone is found in very specific sediment veins in California, Brazil, India and some parts of Europe. Each location and vein has it’s own characteristics and qualities in terms of clarity, design and color. Soapstone is composed of talc , with varying amounts of chlorite. Some soapstones contain other minerals like tremolite, anthophyllite, and magnesiocummingtonite, and trace to minor ferro-oxides (metals), It may be Schist or a variety of light metals. Soapstone is metamorphic stone created by millions of years heat and pressure of lighter ultramafic protoliths (e.g. dunite or serpentinite) and the metasomatism of siliceous dolostones.

Some of our stone folk are multitasking individuals. Our woodworking guys are amazing! They make gorgeous wood slabs, custom bar tops, custom table tops, and almost all of our local woods can be used for flooring material.

Thank you for visiting – enjoy!