Granite Headstones & Monuments
GRANITE DESCRIPTIONGranite is one of the hardest materials on Earth.
Our Granite monuments are manufactured at quarries from all over the world and naturally come in literally a rainbow of beautiful colors and grains that make marvelous patterns. The original state of granite when first quarried looks much like any other stone. It's shine and robust colors are brought out when highly polished.
Its longevity has made it the most popular of all Stone Memorials. At one time, marble was the monument of choice, but it is somewhat soft as stone goes and lettering and designs wear with weather and time.
Granite is practically timeless.
Granite Headstones are available in an infinite amount of shapes and designs.
TYPES OF GRANITE HEADSTONES
There are basic types and styles which we would like to share with you.
- Grave Markers...Also called Flush or Grass Markers.
- Bevel Markers- These markers are similar to flush markers only they are slightly slanted up towards the back anywhere from 2"-4 " higher.
- 2 Piece Die and Base - Also called Upright Headstones.
These are 2 separate pieces a vertical tablet and a granite base it sits atop. They are not bolted together, instead the tablet sits on the base and is sometimes caulked or epoxied. - Slant Markers - These come in 2 general types: Western style where the face of the slant is polished all the way down to the bottom of the marker and Slants with Nosing -the bottom of the polished face of the marker is cut perpendicular for the bottom few inches.
- Family Plot Monuments- These are upright headstones that are generally very large intended to be for entire families. Sometimes only the Family Name is Engraved in the Monument with footstones placed for each individual family member.
DESIGN STYLES
Laser Etch Headstones - This is the process where either an artist by hand or a computerized etcher takes a diamond pointed tip and etches into the granite piercing the polished surface. This allows much more detail than sandblasting and in some cases can even duplicate pictures to photo quality. These designs are almost always better done on darker granite headstone since where the contrast of etching and polished granite are more pronounced and more detail is shown.
Sandblast Design Headstones - this is where a stencil is cut and taped to the headstone where the design and letters are sandblasted into the granite. This is the more traditional type of design technique and is used on lighter granite and when the design and lettering is best cut deeper into the granite.
Hand carved Design Headstones - This is done by an artisan who by hand and chisel carves out deep designs such as religious figures or roses for a 3 dimensional look of beauty.
Die -
The main part of the Headstone
Base-
the bottom part of a 2 piece Headstone, the piece that sits under the die.
Marker, Grave Marker, Grass Marker, Flat Marker -
A headstone that lies flat on the ground usually made of granite of bronze.
Monolith -
A single headstone without a base.
Polished -
A high glass finish, when followed by a number 1 ,2,3, or 5 refers to the number of sides that are polished.
Varied Tops of Dies
Serpentine -
A raised curved surface in the top of the Headstone
Flat top -
Top of the Headstone is flat
Two way cut -
The two sides of the top of the Headstone peak at the center.
Gothic -
A convex top which rounds up to a peak on the center line.
Oval Top -
A half curve top of the Headstone
Apex -
The top of a die sloping upwards to a point from the four sides.
Roof Top or Ridge Top -
Slopes up from front and back and peaks at the center top
Axed -
Or a surface dressed with a bush hammer.
Frosted Panel -
The removal of the high polish by sand-blasting usually for the purpose of making lettering boxes.
Flat carving -
A shallow sandblasting of the stone to produce a design.
Shaped Carving -
Deep Carving using either a double or triple sandblast technique or hand carving.
Rock Pitched Back, sides, face, ends -
Rough rocky surfaces on the Headstone or Base.
Polished -
A high glass finish, when followed by a number 1 ,2, 3, or 5 refers to the number of sides of the headstone that are polished.
Steeled -
A smooth but not highly polished surface on the Base.
Sawn Edges -
Edges of usually Grave Markers or Bases that are straight cut and not rough rocked cuts.
Ledger or Slab -
A flat memorial placed full length on the ground, which usually covers the whole grave.
Western Slant Marker -
The front face of the Slant Marker goes straight to down the entire face of the marker.
Front Nosing Slant Marker -
The perpendicular facing on the front bottom of the marker.
The History of Bronze
The Bronze Age began in Approx 3000 BC. This period of time was marked by an increased use of bronze in everything form cups and vases, to shields an swords. Today, Bronze remains a favorite for artists, craftspeople and others who work with metal.
Bronze is a metal alloy made of copper and tin. Its combination of ageless beauty, hardness and durability make it a popular material for memorials and sculptures.
True Memorial Bronze is used to make memorials.
The composition of good quality Bronze Markers is :
- Not less than 87% copper
- not less than 5% tin
- Not more than 2% lead
- all other elements not to exceed 2.5"
(If your Cemetery Requires this in writing we can furnish that for you.)
Bronze is the an excellent material for memorialization because its appearance evolves naturally over time. Its color transforms from a deep golden brown to a lighter, subtler hue. And after years of exposure to the elements. Bronze eventually develops into a lovely greenish tint. Also known as patina or verdigris, this tint provides natural protection from corrosion.
Caring for Bronze
While the appearance of your memorial will gradually change over time , there are simple things that can be done to care for it.
If you wish to clean your memorial, use mild soap and water. Never use abrasive cleaners, chemicals or solvents. Oil and wax can offer only limited protection. These are not generally recommended.
Bronze Markers
Bronze Markers are made by heating the metal materials to about 2000 degrees. Then the molten metal is poured into molds made with the lettering and design from the proof you signed for approval.
Bronze grave markers come in many sizes and Designs. The main groups are: Single, Companion, Double interment (One grave wide and 2 deep) and ledger style (more long than wide).
*The information above was collected from literature provided by: Granite-Bronze. www.coldspringgranite.com/grntbrnzmrkrs.html