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In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, Hermione reads from a book that states "Nicholas Flamel is the only known creator of the Sorcerer's Stone."
Why did only Flamel make one? Why didn't Voldemort try to create his own Sorcerer's Stone? Was it too difficult, and if so why? Are there any canon explanations for this?
J.K. Rowling doesn't elaborate much on the Philosopher's Stone at Pottermore [SCREENSHOT 1 || SCREENSHOT 2] The main reason why we don't see more than one Philosopher's Stone in canon during Voldemort's and Harry's journey is that Nicholas Flamel was the only verified Alchemist who successfully created a Stone for 665 years prior to Harry's confrontation with Voldemort/Quirrell (it says others were rumored to have created a Philosopher's Stone, but Flamel seems to be the only named creator in Potterverse):
‘Nicolas Flamel,’ she whispered dramatically, ‘is the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone!’ (Hermione)
There have been many reports of the Philosopher’s Stone over the centuries, but the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr Nicolas Flamel, the noted alchemist and opera-lover.
Philosopher's Stone - page 163 - UK - chapter 13, Nicholas Flamel
In Tales of Beedle the Bard, Albus Dumbledore wrote in regards to the Resurrection Stone:
Many critics believe that Beedle was inspired by the Philosopher’s Stone, which makes the immortality-inducing Elixir of Life, when creating this stone that can raise the dead.
Tales of Beedle the Bard - page 95 - The Tale of the Three Brothers
The reason Voldemort wasn't interested in procuring another Philosopher's Stone is because Voldemort rejects being dependent upon anything other than himself for immorality -- for anything, really. This is a theme about Voldemort throughout the series. I'm sure the time he spent as practically an infant with Wormtail was intolerable for Voldemort. That's why he chose Horcruxes. They were his; nobody else was involved in their creation or maintenance.
Conversely, if something went wrong with the Elixir of Life -- it was spilled, contaminated, stolen -- then Voldemort would have been just as vulnerable to death as any other mortal. And Voldemort was too arrogant to consider that 1) anyone would guess his secret or 2) that anyone would be able to destroy Horcruxes. He was too arrogant to think he would need a back-up plan.
You can read Dumbledore's explanation of this in chapter 23 of Half-Blood Prince - Horcruxes. It's right after the part where Dumbledore shares with Harry what he knows about Voldemort's Horcruxes. Page 469 in my book, but it's the UK hardcover.
ETA: Pursuant to your comment, I'll add the quote from Dumbledore. As far as I know, there is no further canon on why Voldemort did not attempt to make a Philosopher's Stone himself, or with Wormtail's assistance:
‘While the Elixir of Life does indeed extend life, it must be drunk regularly, for all eternity, if the drinker is to maintain his immortality. Therefore, Voldemort would be entirely dependent on the Elixir, and if it ran out, or was contaminated, or if the Stone was stolen, he would die just like any other man. Voldemort likes to operate alone, remember. I believe that he would have found the thought of being dependent, even on the Elixir, intolerable. Of course he was prepared to drink it if it would take him out of the horrible part-life to which he was condemned after attacking you, but only to regain a body. Thereafter, I am convinced, he intended to continue to rely on his Horcruxes: he would need nothing more, if only he could regain a human form. He was already immortal, you see ... or as close to immortal as any man can be.' (Albus Dumbledore)
Half-Blood Prince - pages 469-470 - UK - chapter 23, Horcruxes
It may also have been that Voldemort didn't know how to make a Philosopher's Stone. Yes, he is a brilliant wizard, but even the most brilliant individuals can't know everything. According to Pottermore [SCREENSHOT 3], the study of Alchemy was not compulsory or even a given elective. Alchemy instruction occurred if a certain number of students wished to study it, during only their sixth and seventh years. I'm willing to wager that Nicholas Flamel had more than two years instruction in Alchemy before creating the Philosopher's Stone.
So overall, Voldemort probably thought it was easier to steal an existing Stone, since he was already inside the castle.
PS- The recipe for the Stone was probably a pretty well-guarded secret.
My theory is, that "the Philosopher's Stone" was not a real one. It was just a horcrux made by Flamel (and possibly his wife - I don´t know, can you put two pieces of soul into one object?). That could be the reason of his age and also why nobody else could make one. And the way to protect it - no wizard would want to destroy Philosopher's Stone!!! After those years, they got tired of pretense and agreed to destroy the Stone - they just regretted doing it (how simple!). Just think about it - how do we know it was THE Stone? Flamel himself could be very good in transfiguration (turning metal into gold) and he spread the rumor to cover his incredible longevity. Dumbledore always believed in people...
You must know that while Voldemort had great "force" in his magic, he had no talent in magical experimentation. He was not someone who created any new techniques that were previously unknown to the magical world. He always just went for things that came by heritage to him. Be it the magic of Horcruxes or the Elder Wand. He always relied on powers that were already known to man. While the Philosopher's Stone does fit the profile of this case, Voldemort had other methods which were more suited to his psyche (unicorn blood, Horcruxes) that were more evil(This is important because Voldemort has been projected to be evil right from his childhood). Moreover, Voldemort would also require some methodologies or recipes to make the philosopher's Stone but he certainly was not as strong as Nicholas Flamel or Dumbledore to get it out of him. Thus, I think it is clear that he could not have made a Philosopher's Stone by himself. In the end, If Voldemort had the talent to make one, Harry would be lying dead long before the first book.
