STONES & FRIENDS

An immersive stone-carving workshop by PEDRA casa estudi

May 29–31, 2026 · Llombai, Valencia

Led by Empar Juanes
Herbert Hofmann Prize Winner 2024 · LOEWE Craft Prize Finalist 2025

Discover the magic of stone carving.

Open to both experienced makers and curious beginners, Pedra casa estudi creates space for experimentation, reflection, and material sensitivity.

This weekend workshop, 20h (2,5 days with food and lodging provided) is designed for those eager to explore the captivating world of stone carving and learn its fundamentals.

Through hands-on guidance, shared meals, conversations, and focused studio time, you will receive step-by-step guidance in using professional stone carving tools and techniques within a fully equipped and inspiring workshop while immersing yourself in creative rhythm with a very personalized guidance.

Why this workshop is different

The small group format allows for close mentorship, individual attention, and a level of immersion that is rarely possible in larger educational settings.

Every aspect of the week has been carefully curated — from the studio environment to the creative methodology and the shared living experience.

PEDRA casa estudi is a space for focused creation, reflection, experimentation, and connection.

APLY

**What You Will Learn**

**Stone Carving Fundamentals**
Learn how to use professional machinery to work with stone and all the techniques to cut, carve, shape, and polish gemstones safely and confidently, exploring different techniques like lapidary, cameo, intaglio and stone carving.
**Deep understanding of stone and its possibilities**
You will explore different kind of gemstones and stones, with variability of hardness and finishings.
**Learn The Tricks. Keep Working With Stone.**
You will return home not only with finished pieces, but also with the technical knowledge, creative confidence, and practical tools to continue incorporating stone carving into your future practice independently.

A highly personalised experience

With only four participants to ensure the most personalized guidance, the workshop is intentionally designed to create space for:

close mentorship,
thoughtful conversations,
individual feedback,
and a deeply focused creative atmosphere.

Who this workshop is for

The best experience for those who are looking for a concentrated creative burst, or who want a first approach to working with stone with reduced and personalized guidance.

This experience is designed for:

artists and makers,
jewellers,
architects and designers,
creatives seeking a deeper material practice.

No previous experience in stone carving is required.

**About the experience**

**Shared Living & Studio Practice**
Participants will stay together inside PEDRA, Empar’s home-studio in the Valencian countryside. A unique opportunity to visit the studio of an award-winning jeweller. The experience combines daily studio work with communal living, shared meals, and inspiring conversations around art, process, and creativity.
**Inspiring Environment**
The retreat takes place in Llombai, a small mediterranean village surrounded by nature and literally birds singing from sunrise to sunset — an ideal setting to disconnect from high speed busy life to reconnect with yourself.

**Mediterranean Cuisine**
Healthy homemade Mediterranean meals are prepared daily and shared together throughout the week. Everyday in the evening we cook together. A romantic moment of sharing, having dinner in the quiet street, enjoying the summer nights in the village.
**Meaningful Connection**
The intimacy of the group creates a rare opportunity to exchange ideas, experiences, and perspectives with like-minded creatives from different backgrounds. In PEDRA casa estudi, the groups are carefully selected to learn from each other, expand the network and build meaningful connections.

APLY

Meet Empar Juanes

Empar Juanes has developed her professional career between two worlds: architecture and contemporary jewellery.

In 2025, she was selected as a finalist for the prestigious LOEWE Craft Prize, with the award ceremony taking place at the Thyssen Museum in Madrid. In 2024, she received the renowned Herbert Hofmann Prize during Schmuck in Munich, one of the most respected international exhibitions for contemporary jewellery.

Her work explores the delicate limits of stone through a highly precise and meditative carving process. Guided by geometry, material sensitivity, and architectural thinking, she transforms raw stone into ethereal contemporary jewellery pieces that challenge the perceived weight and rigidity of the material.

After spending over a decade living between Germany and the Netherlands, balancing architecture and artistic practice, Empar returned to her village near Valencia in 2022. There, she restored a 200-year-old house and founded PEDRA — an educational and artistic project dedicated to stone carving and contemporary jewellery.

**Workshop Details**

**Location:** Llombai, Valencia, Spain
**Dates :** May 29-31, 2026
(Arrival Friday at 17:00 — Departure Sunday 19:00)
**Languages:** English · Spanish · German
**Group Size:** Maximum 4 participants
**Investment:** 640 €
**Deposit:** 180€ to secure your place. Payment method: bank transfer, PayPal or Bizum.
**Included:**
2 nights accommodation in shared double rooms
All daily meals
Airport/train station transfers
Full workshop access
Stones for practice
Professional stone carving tools and machinery
and a fully immersive creative experience.
Participants can bring their own gemstones.

Application Process

Because of the intimate nature of the workshop and the limited number of participants, applications are carefully reviewed.

To apply, please fill this form with a few words about your who you are, where do you come from, your creative background or interests, and why you would like to join this experience.