Our purpose is to establish an ongoing international dialogue about contemporary displays that will help to promote stone appreciation. We encourage members of the global viewing stone community to create new ways of displaying stones that reflect your life in the 21st century, your regional geology, your customs, craft and culture. Unfamiliar types of stones, bases, accessories and materials are welcome. We are not confined to displaying viewing stones in either the traditional Japanese or Chinese manner. These are options available to us and we should respect and acknowledge the established ways of displaying stones, but they are not the only way. It is timely to explore exciting new options to create stone displays that have bases, display tables, and other accessories that reflect our regional and national arts and crafts.

Geneticist and breeders have long recognized that the offspring of two genetically distinct parents often exhibit superior traits when compared with either parent. Some of those improved traits include increased growth, greater size, greater resistance to disease and environmental stresses. Most of the fruits and vegetables lining the supermarket shelves are examples of genetic breeding displaying hybrid vigor. 

This Japanese seashore stone with its cleverly carved wood cap suggests an eggplant. When placed in a miniature shopping cart, the illusion of a giant eggplant comes to mind. This contemporary display serves as a reminder that centuries of plant breeding has provided the food to sustain a growing world population. 

The stone is 7 cm wide, 14 cm high, and 7 cm deep.