Branches & Beams

Branches & Beams A small family-run studio creating custom engraved coasters and light-driven objects focused on structure, material, and meaning.

Designed and made in Colorado by a working dad balancing family life and craft.

Happy Valentine's Day
02/14/2026

Happy Valentine's Day

Coasters with visions of Africa 🤤🤤
01/07/2026

Coasters with visions of Africa 🤤🤤

Working on some beautiful lion family coasters
01/07/2026

Working on some beautiful lion family coasters

Engraved in stone. Memories to last forever.
01/01/2026

Engraved in stone. Memories to last forever.

This is stone.Before plastic printers and hobby machines, lithophanes were carved from porcelain — images revealed by li...
12/31/2025

This is stone.

Before plastic printers and hobby machines, lithophanes were carved from porcelain — images revealed by light, shaped through depth and patience. That idea stuck with us.

What you’re hearing in this video is a photo carved into a stone-based material, not printed, not poured, and not layered. The image is formed by slowly blasting material away at extreme temperatures — on the order of a thousand degrees — over the course of hours. Microns at a time. Enough to control how light moves, but never enough to weaken the stone.

You can hear it when you knock on it.
Solid. Dense. Real.

Stone doesn’t melt in the sun. It doesn’t warp on a warm shelf. It doesn’t yellow, fade, or fall apart with time. If it gets dusty, wipe it clean. If it gets wet, rinse it off. It’s made to live with you, not be handled carefully.

Same principle that’s been around for centuries.
Just shaped with modern tools.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/4433310059/stone-photo-lithophane-durable-permanent

— Branches & Beams

We’ve been experimenting with something new in the studio — stone photo lithophanes.Instead of plastic or resin, these i...
12/30/2025

We’ve been experimenting with something new in the studio — stone photo lithophanes.

Instead of plastic or resin, these images are carved into a stone-based solid surface material using a high-precision CO₂ laser. The image isn’t printed on top. It’s shaped into the material itself, using depth to control how light passes through.

When the piece is unlit, it looks simple and minimal.
When light is introduced, the photo appears — soft highlights, deep shadows, and a surprising amount of detail.

What surprised us most was the durability. This material is dense, heat-stable, moisture-resistant, and designed for architectural use, which means the image won’t warp, yellow, or fade over time. It’s meant to last.

We love that this process blends math, light, and physical material in a way that feels calm and human when finished. Nothing flashy — just a photo, shaped by light, in stone.

More to come as we refine sizes and designs.
— Branches & Beams

Working on some cork coasters this morning 😋
12/30/2025

Working on some cork coasters this morning 😋

Address

Erie, CO
80516

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