Granite Headstones

Designed To Outlast Time

Granite headstones have been, probably, the most popular choice in the thousands of years that headstones have been in use. Granite headstones are perfect for a long-lasting memorial because granite, itself, is among the most durable natural materials that the Earth has to offer. Granite headstones, of course, are a specialty of today’s memorial industry. Granite headstones owe their popularity to the sturdiness of granite as a headstone material.  Over the centuries, granite has long been known as Earth's most elegant natural stone and it, accordingly, has been used to build – aside from countless numbers of granite headstones, of course – many of the world's most elegant structures. Artists and architects of most of the world's most storied cultures (the Ancient Greeks and the Romans, to name just two) have used granite in their timeless creations. Granite headstones, therefore, are perfect because of this historical connection to just about everything human. Their classic, long-lasting construction make granite headstones perfect for memorializing loved-ones for generations to come.

Besides being elegant and beautiful, granite is one of the hardest natural materials in the world. It has its origins from the very core of the Earth, having been formed millions of years ago from cooled molten lava. This natural element of granite makes it perfect for granite headstones.

As granite is cooled over the centuries, the lava settled into granite "quarries" in various parts of the world, and today, workers pull large blocks of granite out of those quarries using a variety of techniques, from drilling to blasting to sawing. The blocks are then sent to factories where they are cleaned, polished and shaped for any number of purposes, including, of course, granite headstones.

To make granite headstones, factory workers first cut down to size the large blocks of stone that come from granite quarries. They then polish the granite headstones so they will be suitable for engraving.  Once the granite headstones are polished, the workers apply an adhesive backed rubber stencil. Carvers then use this stencil as a guide to engrave words and other designs into the granite headstones. Whereas the stencils were once drawn and cut, mostly, by hand, companies today use sophisticated machines to make sure the stencils translate into accurate engravings on the granite headstones.

Once the stencil has been applied, the engraving (also known as carving) is done in a special sandblasting room. In this room, workers use a high-pressure air hose to trace the stencil into the granite headstones. Once a stencil is carved into a headstone, the engravers fill in the crevasses with black so that the lettering stands out on the granite headstones. The uncut portion of the stencil is then removed, and the granite headstones are ready to be shipped.