The Stone

Vanaqar, the stone of Van.

That is what Armenians called obsidian. Vanakat cuts it into objects for the cigar.

Raw obsidian from the quarry on a workbench, in the hands of a Vanakat craftsman

Glass, made by fire.

Obsidian is volcanic glass: lava that cooled too quickly to crystallize. It breaks in smooth, shell-like curves and takes a polish like a mirror.

Noir ashtray in deep black obsidian — Black

Black and White ashtray in striped obsidian — Striped

Eclipse ashtray in warm brown obsidian — Brown

Sinatra ashtray in silver-sheen obsidian — Silver

From Mount Arteni.

Vanakat quarries its obsidian on Mount Arteni, in the Aragatsotn region of Armenia. The stone comes deep black, striped, warm brown and silver.

A Vanakat sketchbook: a faceted ashtray drawn from every side before it is cut

Made by hand.

Since 2021 every piece has been made in Vanakat's own workshop, by hand, without industrial machinery.

Cut and polished
By hand, to a mirror.
Engraved
In three dimensions, from fine marks to full relief.
Fired
Images printed on the stone and fired at 800°C.
Joined with metal
Steel, brass, copper, silver and gold.

The Bristol ashtray in black obsidian, signed with the Vanakat mark

The maker.

Founded in 2017, Vanakat is an Armenian obsidian house. Cigar Couture presents its work in the United States.

2017Founded
Mount ArteniAragatsotn, Armenia
2021Own workshop

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