The 2026 Olympic Curling Stones Are Becoming Mini Collectibles—Here’s How to Get Yours

The only company that makes curling stones for Olympians is turning the 2026 stones into collectibles.

BY VICTORIA SALVES, EDITORIAL FELLOW

Arguably one of the most fixated-upon winter sports, thanks to its long history and  mysterious origins, curling is thrust into the public spotlight every four years thanks to the Winter Olympics. Adding to the mystery is the fact that there is only one manufacturer in the world trusted to make every curling stone thrown at the Olympics. 

Just in case you have yet to become a curling convert, curling (which sort of resembles Bocce on ice) is played by two teams consisting of four players each where each team “throwing” a total eight stones toward a target known as the “house”. 

The team that gets their stone closest to the center of the house known as the “button” (which resembles a bullseye) wins. While in nature this all sounds relatively easy, don’t let it fool you. Players will have to guide the stone down the ice using a curling broom that will influence the direction, speed and “curl” of the stone while strategically trying to knock opponents stones out of the way. 

But who makes the curling stones?

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Founded in 1851, and based in the small Ayrshire town of Mauchline, Scotland, Kays Scotland has been the exclusive supplier of Olympic stones since 1998. The company retains the sole right to harvest and quarry granite from Ailsa Craig, a tiny uninhabited Scottish island, which is home to the world’s only source of the world’s densest granites—Ailsa Craig Common Green and Ailsa Craig Blue Hone—according to Kay Scotland’s  website. 

This year, Kays Scotland produced 164 stones for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, although only 132 will be used. Since 2006, every stone thrown at the Olympics has been inspected and signed off by one 60 year-old craftsman named John Brown. 

Each curling stone is crafted through a very meticulous process, fitted with a red or yellow handle, and must weigh between 38 to 44 pounds, with the average stone coming in at 42 pounds.

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