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Please excuse and ignore this ridiculous comment Bunny22. My apologies for being so rude. All the best with the restoration work.

Goodness gracious, you'd think the very first thing we'd see would be a photo. And STILL none, six hours later.

I have one, talking 'bout a GOOD one.

But, who are you?

I've only heard it called basalt, diabase and traprock around here. Bluestone refers to a similar type of rock in Australia/NZ, but refers to a type of sandstone commonly used here for old sidewalk paving.

Basalt is about 8-9 on the Mohs hardness scale. Diamond is 10. Mortar must be softer, as it acts as a sacrificial layer for repeated water intrusion events over time. I think regular portland cement would be just fine.

I'll take a close-up photo. My neighbor said our foundations are bluestone. Are you saying that traprock is similar to bluestone?
She said bluestone is very strong but I read online that the mortar should be softer than the stone.

Most around here are brick or palisades traprock/basalt. Can you upload a pic? You really only have to worry about custom lime/sand mixtures when dealing with old red bricks, especially if they're pre-1900. Traprock can take straight modern cement because of how incredibly tough it is.

Can anyone recommend a good mason? I have a 1902 Victorian that has a bluestone foundation (painted) that needs repointed here and there. I thought I could try it myself but after research about mixes and lime verses verses cement I would prefer a genuine authority. Also someone who won't scam me and tell me the house is falling down. Sorry if I sound bitter but contractor selection is like Russian Roulette around here.