The mining of selenite and associated alabasters with gypsums in Russia has begun since 1838. Once a manager of the Yekaterinburg cutting factory sent a prospecting party for alabaster exploration. Alabaster was needed for decoration of the Petersburg Winter palace. This prospecting party found the most beautiful, snow-white, sometimes with the most thin translucent veins alabaster after several years of unsuccessful exploration activities in July 1838. Also they found silk selenite of honey color. Alabaster and selenite was found near to a village Red Jasyl in the Ordinsky region of the Perm province. White alabaster was not worse than the Italian gypsum, which was bought for making of bas-reliefs, sculptures, and other ornaments in the Imperial palace.

A hundred years later, after using alabaster in palace decoration, in the 30s of the 20th century began a new round of the development of the stone mining. It was required for architectural decor, inlaid works, and other monumental ones. The stone was needed to new authorities for ashlaring of their Palaces. Numerous artels on the mining and stone processing were united into the “Gorno-Irensky stone-cutting association” on 12th April, 1928. The enterprise “Ural stone cutter” was originated from this day. The “Ural stone cutter” was the unique enterprise, which was produced the selenitic products for a long time, but after perestroika there were some large companies and many small private workshops. It became a new round of the development of the stone-cutting craft. Each enterprise, is not dependent on the size, tries to keep “the face”, and it is proud of its products no doubt.