Stone and wood carving is a skill and talent passed down through generations by different craftsmen who have left their mark in decorating the house walls, door stones, windows, and household appliances, such as: washbasins, cupboards, various paintings, musical instruments, kitchen utensils, etc.

It is an early tradition, with various works having been performed mainly by craftwork, i.e., hand-made using a chisel and a hammer.

The raw material, namely the stone used for the works is found locally, mainly from Guri i Zi surroundings, while the stone used for larger works is taken from Berat and Skrapar. As regards woodwork, mulberry wood is preferred because of its color and time-resistance peculiarity; yet, walnut, chestnut, maple, and olive wood are used as well.

Stone Carving

Stonework goes through the following steps:

Initially, the object to be carved is selected.

Stone drawing of the object is performed.

Large pieces are cut away by giving the required shape using a claw hammer or other tool.

The master begins to shape the object using a special chisel and hammer.

The object takes on fine shapes using a small chisel, a pointed chisel, and a comb chisel.

The finer the work, the smaller the chisel selected.

Every 30-minute work is followed by a 10-minute inspection to check for or detect defects.

Once the work is finished, the master uses a stone cutter to work on the smallest details of the object and to give its final shape.

Wood Carving

Woodwork goes through the following steps:

The wood species is selected.

The object to be carved is selected.

A preliminary decoration is drawn on paper and then cast on wood.

Large pieces are cut out using a chisel, hammer, and saw.

Having removed some pieces with a chisel, work proceeds with milling cutters and files of different sizes.

The masterworks on the object with sandpaper comes in a range of grit sizes.

Once the carving is finished, the process follows with wood color toning and varnish treatment.