Dziner Stones

Neelankarai is where we work, down on Habeeba Street at No 3/517. It is a bit of a walk from the main coastal road, which makes it a little quieter than the rest of the area. Our place is where we handle the designer side of stone work. We have different types of rocks and stones piled up, some of them cut into interesting shapes. It isn't a massive factory. It is more of a workshop where things happen slowly and with a bit more care. The air smells a bit like the sea and wet stone. We get a lot of people who are looking for something specific for their garden or a special part of their house. We just show them what we have been working on. There is usually some water on the floor from the cutting tools. We wear rubber boots and old trousers because it is a wet job. We don't have a big sign or fancy entrance. Most people find us because someone else told them we were back here. We take our time with the work because you can't rush stone. If you make a mistake, you can't just fix it. You have to start over. So we just keep it simple, work at our own pace, and try to make sure every piece that leaves the street is something we are okay with.