A new Vermont-based company has developed the first direct-light, smokeless instrument bringing a new way to use cannabis to the rapidly growing market. The MagicStone brand is the result of a combined effort of two iconic Vermont companies: The Imagination Company in Bethel and Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville. Developed and patented by Jim Giberti, the new MagicStone Odyssey is handcrafted and precision tooled from a single block of soapstone and delivers the benefits of a vaporizer with the simplicity of use of a traditional pipe — no batteries, no pre-heating, and virtually no maintenance.
The magic began when Giberti, creative director of The Imagination Company, got a call from Glenn Bowman, owner of Vermont Soapstone, who was looking for a firm to rebrand his historic company.
“As it turned out, it was a pretty serendipitous call,” said Giberti.
The Imagination Company in Bethel and Vermont Soapstone in Perkinsville teamed up and developed a new product, Magic- Stone Odyssey, a natural vaporizer for consuming cannabis. Simple and ever-lasting; a first of its kind.
Months later, after Soapstone’s new brand creative was finished, and after working closely with Bowman learning the unique physical, aesthetic, and most importantly, thermal, properties of soapstone, Giberti had a seminal, late night moment: might it be possible to use soapstone to create a natural vaporizer? The thought was of a simple device that could be picked up whenever you want, and using just an ordinary lighter, extract the essence of cannabis without burning and smoking it. After several months of experimenting, Giberti produced the first working prototype, which was followed by three years of engineering, refinement and ultimately outfitting two facilities to begin production.
“It really is a breakthrough for countless existing and new cannabis users,” said Bowman. “During development, I’ve had so many conversations with friends and colleagues, from farmers to bankers and doctors who regularly smoke cannabis, burning their flower and losing much of the goodness in the process. And each person has virtually the same reason: they know it would be better not to smoke, but they don’t want the hassle of an electronic device with batteries, buttons, waiting, etc. When I would tell them what I was working on, the response was always some version of, ‘If you can actually pull that off, I’m all in.’ I realized it really was sort of the holy grail of cannabis use. After nearly four years of challenging, but totally enjoyable, development and testing, we’re very excited to have made this happen.”
In addition to the direct-light simplicity, another real benefit of the Odyssey is the ability to easily control the strength of your intake. Unlike edibles, where it can be difficult to gauge how much to ingest and how long it takes to feel the full effect, the Odyssey works in real time and allows for a very intuitive way to enjoy anything from a light microdose to a big, clean, powerful hit. And being made of solid stone, it’s meant to be a lifetime instrument. Each MagicStone warranty is signed and numbered, and each Odyssey can be personalized with engraving and gold inlay.
“We also wanted to make something truly beautiful and a joy to use that would appeal to more sophisticated adult cannabis users, as well as the emerging market that doesn’t want to smoke. So much of the industry is targeting a stereotypical ‘stoner’ crowd, which isn’t representative of the majority of users,” added Giberti’s long-time business partner, Kristen Smith. “People want to experience the health and lifestyle benefits that cannabis offers, from relaxation and social enjoyment to pain relief and sleep aid, without the downsides. Plus with the Odyssey, the user can really taste the varied flavors of different strains…more like appreciating fine wines or micro brews. MagicStone offers a natural, elevated experience.”
The manufacturing of MagicStone products happens at two of Vermont’s smaller villages/hamlets. The cutting and machining of the stone is done in Perkinsville where the historic stone mill is located, and from there each is hand assembled and finished in Bethel ’Lympus at new facilities on Giberti’s mountainside Imagination Farm.
In addition to the flagship Odyssey, the MagicStone team has developed a number of complementary products to enhance the user’s experience. And because of their one-of-a-kind nature, MagicStone instruments are only available directly online at magicstone.us.
