Why It Exists
This started as a joke. Then it wasn't.
I kept reaching for my phone when I didn't need it. Waiting in line. During conversations. The second I sat down. Not to do anything specific—just to hold something, to feel that weight, to have somewhere for my hands to go.
So I made a phone that's just a stone. The exact size and weight of my iPhone. I put it in my pocket.
And it worked.
It gave my hands something to do. It reminded me—dozens of times a day—that I didn't actually need to check anything. That the moment I was in was enough.
Worry stones have existed for millennia. We're just adapting them for a world where our phones have become our primary fidget object, our security blanket, our escape hatch.
This is that object—but one that brings you back instead of taking you away.
Is it a real product? Yes.
Is it a commentary on tech culture? Also yes.
Can both things be true? We think so.
If you've ever reached for your phone and thought "wait, why am I doing this?"—this is for you.
— The Holdstones Team
