For the person who has everything, a new trend is sweeping the Island in which people of all walks of life can have their hands or feet immortalised in stone.

Bermudian Pro Golfer Eardley Jones presents, "Hands of Stone".

Hands of Stone was started by a Florida artist and businessman several years ago, and Mr. Jones became fascinated with the craft after he visited a fair in Florida where he said he saw people "performing these miracles".

He saw a casting of a child's hand and said of the mother's reaction: "When she was presented with the hand, the look on her face really took me."

Soon after, Mr. Jones signed up for a week-long training course, bought a dealership in April last year, and has been back several times since to complete his training.

"It is something that lasts forever," he said.

The process is very quick and he does not take up much of people's time and if an appointment is made, Mr. Jones will come and take a mould of hands or feet which takes no longer than 15 minutes.

He then takes the mould back to his studio at his Southampton home, and creates a living masterpiece in stone which he paints, finishes and mounts on a pedestal or plaque of the customers choice.

And the finished product can be in the hands of the owner within 48 hours, or even more quickly.

But Mr. Jones prefers not to rush.

On Friday nights through the visitor season, Mr. Jones can be found at the Sonesta Beach resort on South Shore where he offered visitors the chance to have their extremities immortalised in stone.

Although most people had never seen hands of stone before, Mr. Jones said honeymoon couples and those with children were only too happy to have a permanent memory of their holiday.

Some visitors were initially taken aback by the realism of the hands and feet, and said: "I could take a fingerprint, that's how detailed it is."

Mr. Jones had a stall at Hamilton's Harbour Nights this year and would take moulds on the Wednesday evening, and have the finished product back at the cruise ship before departure at 2 p.m. the next day.

Hands of Stone knows few limits, and Mr. Jones said that he occasionally has requests from terminally ill people, sometimes hand in hand with a loved one, as a permanent testament of a lifetime of love and dedication.

Being a good businessman, Mr. Jones is diversifying, and his latest offering is tombstones.

He said he has had a few orders and was working with churches to make sure his handmade gravestones were acceptable and the right size.

He said a marble headstone could cost as much as $2,000 to $3,000 while he could make a one for about $550, prices which have sparked interest from around the Island.

Mr. Jones says he wants to provide affordable products to residents and most importantly, he says his products are strictly Bermudian.

And there will soon be new products on offer as Mr. Jones is planning another trip to Florida soon to learn new techniques which will include gold-plating the hands and feet.

The business is growing rapidly and Mr. Jones says that anyone who is interested in buying into the business should get in touch with him, and with over 120,000 hands and 120,000 feet on the Island, there is certainly room for competition.

Children are the most popular subjects and Mr. Jones said everything he does is very safe as the materials are non-toxic and it is very quick and easy.

"No baby is too small," he says and added that the president of the company in Florida made a mould of his own daughter when she was just 20 hours old, while Mr. Jones' youngest subject was a six-month-old child.

Prices start at just $40 depending on what customers want, and Mr. Jones can be contacted on 238-0259 (studio) or 235-0606 (mobile).