It's not the stones that have value IMO - It sounds like they're more like a physical representation of more abstract values like "honour" and "respect". A physical token to represent these concepts can then be placed around a dance floor and to the people there, that looks awesome to them.
But if, say, a foreigner use a machine tool to carve one such stone in 3 days and transport it into the island to sell it to the residents, it's not going to be worth much, compared to the stone that's been in one of their families for decades, and where a few years ago they did a ritual with their son with it.
Going further, if said foreigner marries into a local family, and then performs a ritual with his first born son, in front of the newly crafted stone, the ritual involving the whole village, suddenly the stone that didn't have value, would now be valuable and accepted in trade. And later on, if now grown-up son's child commits a mistake and harms another family, that stone can then be offered as an apology.
It has a corollary to our own currency, but the values they represent are different - in our society, currency represents the values of "productivity", "offering what people want" and "cleverness".
Anyway, that's my speculation.