Case Study: Delivering a Stone Cello from Ukraine to Las Vegas for the Coverings Show

The cargo: Sometimes we’re approached with things that are hard to call simply “cargo.” This time it was a cello — full-size, with sheet music, entirely handcrafted from Volga Blue stone. Labradorite with its signature deep blue crystals, inlaid with gold. The instrument was made by Ukrainian craftsmen — a quarrying company that works its own labradorite deposit decided to showcase it at the Coverings show in Las Vegas. Coverings is one of the largest international exhibitions of natural stone and ceramic tile in the world, where suppliers from dozens of countries present their work.

Packaging: Stone is heavy and fragile at the same time. The cello with its sheet music weighed 1,088 kg — and it was also a work of art, where every detail mattered. The craftsmen built the wooden crate themselves to fit the instrument’s non-standard shape, with soft padding at the contact points. Our job was to take that crate and get it to Las Vegas in exactly the same condition it left the workshop.

Logistics: The route began in Verona — road delivery from there to Milan airport. In Italy, we also handled customs clearance for the cargo: a non-standard art object weighing over a tonne needed a properly prepared set of documents to pass through customs without delay and make its flight to Las Vegas. The entire chain, from departure in Verona to arrival at the show, took 5 days.

Result: The Volga Blue stone cello arrived at Coverings on time and undamaged. We’re used to hauling equipment, machinery, raw materials. But sometimes the cargo is a work of art. The approach is the same: reliable packaging, sound customs clearance, a clear route — no surprises on arrival.