A stone cutter 10 for quickly and efficiently producing stone cuts and shapes is provided. The stone cutter 10 utilizes a hydraulic cylinder 44 to force a pair of dies 18, 19 about a stone work piece. Each die includes a corresponding ridge 50 extending from the die face to form a peak or cutting edge 52. The force applied to the work piece is transmitted across the work piece at the cutting edges 52, thereby causing the stone work piece to fracture across the transmission line.