People usually talk about the 'patina' of wood and metal. A lot of stones have wonderful patinas too. The beautiful surfaces found on certain rocks is usually the result of oxidization and the effects of moisture and weathering.
Stones that have been laying around in the open in a quarry for a while take on some very attractive colours and textures. It's not a bad idea to take every effort handle these rocks carefully to preserve their patina. That's why it's best when you can to move them and handle them by hand.
Big machines can leave scars on rocks and stones as they conveniently move them around (or load them) for us but in the process they can do a lot of damage to patinas.
Slings and ropes can help minimize the damage but there's something else too.
The handy 'Stone Cone', or 'Rock collar' as it's called, can help stop them from scratching!
