What makes marble and granite as widely used materials for grave monuments?

Different cultures across the world have different ways of cremating the dead. Perhaps the most widely prevalent method is that of grave burial. It is quite a widespread practice among the most prominent religious communities of the world. Graves are decorated with various types of monuments, headstone or tombstone structures. This is perhaps the last symbolic way of paying the respects to the departed soul and, for this reason people take to buying the best possible headstone.

Monuments could be available in different materials. Most commonly used ones are the marbles and the granite. Although wood, cement, stones and other materials are also used for making these it is the marble and granite which are the two most preferred materials for the grave monuments. What makes these two special for this purpose? At first, there is a need to carve out designs as well as the written words on these materials. So, there is a need to use those materials which can be worked on easily and, at the same time, are not fragile enough to break down in the process. There are many techniques which are used for making these designs. These may warrant the use of different tools and the surface on which these are to be used shall be robust enough to make these carvings possible. Both granite and marble are good at withstanding most of these working. Granite is considered to be even better than marble. It is important to note that the there are inferior qualities or grades of marble and granite which may not be as conducive to some methods of carvings as the higher grades. This difference is crucial to note and it will be helpful in determining what all grade of material and what type of working method shall be used when you are having financial constraints and may not be able to buy the top quality grave monuments.

Another advantage with granite and marble is that these are more durable than some of the other options. While granite is sturdier of the two, both can be more long lasting in the open spaces. The effect of weather and climate, soil, pests and other factors can make the other options less viable or viable at best for a short duration only. Although, people might still be having respects and love for the dead, it might not be possible for them to keep changing the headstone time and again. This might prove to be more costly, irksome and even take up precious time. So, people consider it wise to buy a durable and long lasting tombstone as a solution for this recurring problem. Granite and marble might be more expensive but are still the most sought after materials for this purpose.

There is a concern that though there is no immediate threat to the extinction of marble and granite resources of the world, these are obvious limits to these non-renewable resources and therefore, there is a need to look for greener alternatives as grave monuments.