Company History

In the mid 1980's Herman Bojarsky started developing an estate in Sonoma, California. He and the owner were interested in alternative building materials and settled on the ancient method of rammed earth as the medium of choice for the shop and main house. California building code requires rammed earth to contain 10% cement to meet earthquake protection standards, so it essentially becomes a type of concrete, known as soil concrete.

So began Herman's exploration of the world of concrete, which expanded as the main house was being built. The owner, "one of the most creative minds I have ever worked with," became interested in handcrafting everything possible in the house. Herman's ever-growing shop full of craftsmen began producing concrete tiles, countertops, sinks, thresholds, bathtubs, even a concrete circular stairway. Herman's interest in ecology and environmental building practices led him to research "green" methods of producing concrete.

As with so many things the old way proved to be the best way. In ancient times the Romans added ash from Mt. Vesuvius to their concrete. Engineers today have shown that ash increases the strength of concrete, perhaps explaining why Roman structures such as roads, aqueducts and the Coliseum have endured longer than concrete structures built thousands of years later. Today it is becoming common to see fly ash added to concrete mixes. In addition to enhancing strength, the addition of fly ash uses up a coal industry byproduct and replaces part of the cement called for in a concrete mix.

With the Sonoma estate completed Herman began working on another rammed earth project in Napa. One day he and a coworker were musing about the use of ash in concrete and the subject of human ashes came up. Why not put human ashes into the mix and make a memorial piece of the departed loved one? This "aha" moment led to the creation of a new business. With his wife Carol contributing the name Ashes in Stone, Herman began collecting artwork. Some pieces have come from China, India and Indonesia, while others have been created by local artists. Molds are made of the sculpture and then the cast stone mix, including the ashes, is poured into the mold. When it sets it is removed from the mold, allowed to fully harden, inspected for flaws and sealed against water damage.