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Selecting Slate Fountain Sets

Ordering Criteria

     You need to decide on some things before ordering your slate set:

1. Size - Our slate sets are generally circular, though never perfectly round.  (Other shapes by special request.)  Their size is defined by the smallest diameter circle that they will lay in.  So a 7-8" slate set will lay inside an 8" circle cut in a piece of plywood, but is too large to lay inside of a 7" circle. 
   If you are buying a basin from us you may want to follow the slate size recommendations on the basin specs page.  If you are fitting a piece of slate to your own pot or bowl, be sure and leave enough room around it for the water to flow off of the slate and into the basin.  If you're not sure, cut some cardboard into a circle that looks right in your bowl and then measure it.

2. Number of tiers - Two, three, or four (soon to come.)  Please note that our sets come with spacers already formed onto the upper tier(s.)  This raises and separates the layers giving you a much better water flow and sound.  The spacers can be trimmed with scissors or removed entirely to suit your own personal esthetics.

3. Color of slate - We are currently offering two colors of slate.  (Click on them to see larger images.)   Please understand that slate is a natural material and there is usually some variation in color and patterning.  Slates from different quarries look different.  A black Pennsylvanian slate will look quite different from a black Vermont slate, for example.  We do not intermix different slates, even though they may be similar in color.  There can also be variation within a quarry.  Unless specifically asked to mix types, we make every attempt to match the color and other characteristics of all pieces of a slate set.

4. Thickness of slate - We use 3/8" gauged slate for the smaller sizes, and 5/8" or thicker for the larger sized sets.  This is so that the proportions remain pleasing to the eye.  All dimensions are approximate.  Splitting slate is an imprecise art.  Some slate we purchase "gauged" meaning that it has been dimensioned by a machine.  Some slate - mostly the larger sizes - are hand split and all slate does not split on perfectly flat planes.  No two pieces will split the same nor will the edges come out the same.  The photos, below, are examples only.  We do not mix slates of different thickness within a set and will not sell mismatched sets (unless you specifically request it.)

     Also, please understand that I do not have every combination of size and color and number of tiers made up at all times, so you may have to wait a few days to a week while I make your slate set.  

This is the thicker black slate.  This piece has some rusty color on it, but some pieces are completely black		This is the 3/8" black slate.  Notice that it holds its proportions well in a smaller diameter.
This is the 5/8" green slate.  This is a particularly beautiful slate which sometimes has inclusions or dendrites.		This is the 3/8" green slate.
This rusty/gray slate is difficult to get and to shape.  There are cheaper slates which look similar, but I don't use them.  The gray varies between somewhat darker than the photo and somewhat browner.  Available by special order only at this time.  (Could take 4-6 weeks.)

Special Requests

     I can do a lot of things with slate - even carve it - so feel free to ask if you want something special.  The worst thing I can say is "no."  I will honor your request if possible but the work will be done on a non-returnable basis.  Prices on custom work may be negotiated by email or by phone. 

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