Quartzite is a very interesting garden stepping stone as many of them glitter when they are highlighted by sunbeams. When wet, quartzite can produce deep colours that may compliment your plants. This stone is also extremely durable and will wear better than iron.
You can also make your own stepping stones with concrete. Irregular moulds and stamping kits allow you to create stepping stones that resemble cobblestones or slate. It is also quite easy to cement thin paving brick to pre-cast concrete slabs. These stepping stones look more formal, but the red brick really blends well with the shades of green found in just about every garden.
The sizing of the stones is fairly critical. A garden stepping stone that is too small offers a small target as you walk through the garden. Stones that are too big tend to overpower the pathway. I have found that garden stepping stones that are roughly 45cm wide by 35cm deep are ideal. The stones should be approximately 2.5 to 3cm thick. They can be thicker, but this just creates more work for you as thicker means heavier.
The spacing of stepping stones is controlled by your gait. You can measure your gait easily by getting the bottom of your feet wet, and then walking on dry pavement. Measure the distance from the centre of one footfall to the next. The odds are you will discover the average adult gait is approximately 60cm. People who are taller with longer legs will have a longer gait.
To keep stepping stones free of mulch and mud, they should be installed so they are higher than the surrounding ground. Rookie gardeners frequently dig shallow holes and plant the stones as they would a plant making the top of the stones level with the surrounding dirt. This locks the stone in place, but also allows the stone to get covered easily with debris.
You can still make the stones look flush with the surface ground by placing dirt around the edges of the stones and then flaring this dirt out into the garden. Each stepping stone will then be a small plateau within the garden. The slope away from each stone will be so gentle you will not see it, but water will not flow up on the stones unless a Biblical storm inundates your garden.
If you decide to make your own stepping stones using paving brick, build them in place exactly where they will rest in your garden.
Natural stone will rarely require any maintenance. Harder stone like limestone, quartzite and shale will last generations. In fact, they will last thousands of years with little or no wear. Visit a stone supplier to get the widest variety of stones, and be sure to ask about durability and relative hardness. Stones that have a high quartz-mineral content will be harder and will last longer.
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