Kingston Schist Split Wall

Stonewerx Ltd based in Hamilton, New Zealand are at the forefront of modern stonemasonry construction with a range of satisfied customers from both the residential and commercial markets they deal directly with various New Zealand natural stone quarries and specialized stone tool suppliers from all over the world to produce top quality stonework together with the the most up to date technological equipment and machinery they bring the age old craft of stonemasonry into the 21st century. 
The company is run by Mike Purcell a NZQA level 5 certified stonemason, a UK City & Guilds NVQ certified mason and is a New Zealand LBP (Licensed building practitioner) he specializes in all types/forms of natural stone and stonework.
With the mindset that ''You never stop learning'' Mike is constantly improving his work, as a result he is able to offer his clients a much broader range of stonework this is what sets him apart. His speciality style is a superior looking highly dressed modern contemporary finish, this style would be literally impossible to produce using traditional methods alone and uses both traditional and new modern methods/tools, ask for details on his artistic contemporary styled stonework finish as it can be applied to any natural stone form.
Mike has a strong background in all types of masonry and over nineteen years in the building industry during the first five years he completed his apprenticeship with a local builder and acquired two qualifications/certificates, firstly a City & Guilds in Trowel Occupations - construction level 1 from a local collage. This is a general all round qualification in masonry construction where a high level of trowel skill is required such as stone masonry, brick and block masonry, plastering, concreting and tiling which explains why mikes work is so neat. A few years later he decided to get Trowel Occupations level 2 with units of bricklaying and structural masonry so he would have extra employment options whilst traveling abroad due to it being on the occupational shortage list. 
Before traveling and settling in New Zealand Mike worked as a self employed Builder/Mason sub-contractor in and around Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales. This historic town is set high up in the Welsh valleys at the foot of the Brecon Beacon National park and mountain ranges, there are stone houses, churches, monuments and bridges/viaducts, reservoir dam walls and traditional dry stack walls hundreds of years old. The use of stone and its heritage is everywhere from the old coal miners cottages to the traditional stone houses that were residence to the iron workers of the 1800's. Slate roofing, stone pavements and curbstones are common and are still used to this day.
Right is castle coch translated the red castle, also known as the fairy tale castle. It is situated in Tongwynlais, South Wales. It was named due to the red sandstone that was used in its construction. There are over 400 castles and castle sites in Wales.
Over the years of being involved in construction Mike has worked with both dry-stack stone walls and mortared natural stonework. He has set out and built masonry houses with stone, bricks and blocks structurally. He has also been involved with restorations to protected listed buildings. As a result he also has considerable experience with general all round masonry building consisting of tiling with both ceramics and natural stone tiles, plastering, natural slate roofing and has assisted with carpentry 1st & 2nd fix plus many other general building and construction activities.
Mike also has worked with imported marble and granite, cutting and polishing stone bench counter tops, feature fireplaces and entertainment areas, this was one of the first job placements he had as an apprentice but felt he needed to further his skills in other areas to become a good all rounder being able to relate and adapt to many areas of masonry. Mike constantly continues to further his skill bases, lately in the more artistic side of stonemasonry. This encompasses banker masonry, stone carving and lettering by both traditional chiseled V-cut and abrasive resist methods, the latter being the most commonly used method for natural stone memorial headstones Mike is now taking commissions on natural stone artwork, sculptures and memorials/headstones. 
Left is a reconstituted Welsh Blue Pennant stonescape project and was one of the last jobs Mike worked on, before moving to New Zealand in late 2003.