Lesson Three: How to Carve a Love Heart Candle Holder in Stone

This is a sculpture with a purpose. You'll carve a heart from a block of stone — shaped, smoothed, and finished — then drill a hole in the front to hold a tea light candle. On the back, a Koru spiral is carved in relief. The result is something functional and beautiful, and it makes a meaningful gift.

This is Lesson 3 in the series. It introduces some new techniques — including drilling a cavity into the stone — so some experience with the basics is helpful. If you're new to stone carving, start with Lesson One: the Koru.

What's Inside

• 5 pages of step-by-step instruction
• 18 photographs showing each stage of the carving process
• A printable Heart template — trace it directly onto your stone block
• 10 detailed steps from rough block to finished candle holder

What You'll Make

A hand-carved stone heart with a Koru design on the back and a recessed tea light holder drilled into the front. The lesson covers shaping the heart outline, carving the Koru in relief on the reverse, drilling the candle cavity to fit a standard tea light, and sanding to a smooth finish.

What You'll Need

A stone block approximately 13cm × 9cm × 6cm — the depth is important to leave enough stone beneath the candle hole. Tools: a hand saw, a chisel and mallet, a 38mm spade drill bit, a rasp or file, sandpaper (80 and 240 grit). Safety: always wear a dust mask and safety goggles when cutting and sanding stone.

Who It's For

This lesson is suited to anyone who has completed Lesson One or Two, or who has some basic stone carving experience. It's the most rewarding of the three — you end up with something you can actually use, and something that looks beautiful doing it.

Delivered as a PDF download. You'll receive a link to download the lesson immediately after purchase.