The NSS Gazette Informing the Thin Stone Community Volume II: November, 2008            Stone Displays and Natural Stone Solutions Stone displays have come a long way in just a few years.  Years ago, the only thing customers got to look at was a pile of stone or, if they were lucky, a bunch of stone stacked on a pallet. Then one day it happened: someone got the idea of displaying stone on a "swatch" panel so that the customer would know what the stone would look like when it was installed - chiseled and nicely fitted stone with mortar joints, an "artwork" that might convince a customer of the benefits of adorning their home, fireplace or other structure with built-to-last stone.    Today, some showrooms display hundreds of stone swatch panels, as well as working grills, gas fireplaces equipped with remote control switches and over-sized televisions mounted above their mantles. Nevertheless, stone today as a marketed product is in its infancy.  Very little of the public has much knowledge about stone, including many of the professionals who specify its use on even the most intricate projects.  It therefore falls into the hands of quarriers, fabricators and sellers to educate the specifiers of stone and the public who drives the demand for our products. At Natural Stone Solutions, we have put great care into creating a product line that takes the guess work out of stone selection.  Knowing how difficult this process can be for a salesperson, our goal is to facilitate product selection for our dealers and their customers.  Comprehensive product guides for the Diamond Select Series and Hand Select Series, along with our Installation Guide and "swatch" carry boards, provide this support. We encourage our dealers to go the extra step to further enhance and facilitate the stone selection process.  We have found that many customers start with the carry board in the initial selection process ... ... but favor seeing the actual stone installed on a larger area.       When customers see stone "in action" their imaginations flicker to life.  A fireplace, inside or out, or even a simple column, make the possibilities seem endless.             We are continually updating and adding to our showroom to feature the rich variety of stone thin veneers that are available.           If you are considering adding displays to your showroom, ask us about our wood frame masonry panels.  We have built several of these over the past few months and our customers have responded enthusiastically. Over the upcoming winter, we will also be assembling an NSS Architectural Binder and updating our website.  The binder will feature suggested methods for different installation surfaces, ASTM test results for our products, and other educational materials.  Thank you for your continued support of NSS and keep your customers building with Natural Stone!