Methods of getting the designs made on the tombstones

The amazing variety of the tombstones and monuments for the graveyards that can be found on the online or the offline mediums gives you a range of options to choose from. You can select from a range of materials which are used for making these. There are the granite and the marble grave monuments which are most widely used. The less prominently used ones are made from stones, metals and even wood. Then, there can be a range of different shapes or designs in which the shapes of the grave monuments can be made. You can have the rounded cut, rectangular, oval shaped or any other shape of tombstone. Then, you can also have the different designs carved out using the different techniques. These designs could be religious symbols, special characters based on cultural influences, etc.

All this variety has led to these creations being called ‘funeral art’ by the people. It is interesting to note the techniques used for getting the designs inscribed on the tombstones.

1. Sandblasting: This is a technique used for forcing the abrasion of a surface in order to create a rough surface from a smooth one or vice versa. There can be flat carved sandblast designs which are created by using a pre-cut stencil attached to a headstone and sand blasting it. The design or the words of the pre cut stencil will get inscribed on the surface of the tombstone. Then, there is the shaped carved design which is a two step process to develop the designs on the surface with more depth. You can also have the hand carvings done on these grave monuments, if not sand blasting using the machines.

2. Etched designs: There are two ways in which the designs can be etched on to the surface of the granite or marble tombstone. One is by making use of the lasers and the other is by manual operation. The laser one is done by using the computers. Designs to be etched are fed into the computer and the laser is used to get the same carved out on the stone. It provides the depth to the designs. Manual operation of the etching process is done using the diamond tipped tool. The effect of etching is best achieved by using a dark granite grave monument.

3. Dyes: There are special dyes which can be added to the stones or marbles surfaces to make the letters or the other carved out designs come out beautifully. These dyes can be used on the stones made of various material.

Though the designs are many to choose from, the prices would vary greatly, depending on the type of material used for making the tombstones

as well as the techniques used for carving out the designs. Even the amount of work involved in the design itself can also be a contributory factor for the price variation. These considerations might influence the choice of different designs and type of grave monuments.

How to select affordable headstones, monuments and tombstones?

Marketers are clever people. They know how to make use of your emotions and sensitivities. They make use of the special occasions, worth celebrating or mourning, to make money. Carefully couching their words in the marketing jargon, they offer their products or services at exorbitant rates. They know that some of the situations, like the death of a person, are not going to happen again and that the near and dear ones who are in a state of mourning will not negotiate much on the prices. For the person who is bereaved of his near and dear ones, and for whom he wants to show his last respects and love, there is very little that he can do symbolically beyond the placing of headstones monuments on the grave. When he goes to look for the same, the prices seem to be touching the skies. Therefore, finding affordable headstones monuments becomes an uphill task.

Why are these affordable?

The people supposedly offering discounted headstones use this more as an encouragement to come to their store rather than delivering anything really cheap to the customers. Even if they do offer something at cheaper rates, you need to be cautious since it could be of inferior quality or it could be some defective piece. How do you check whether the quality is inferior is not? Well, most of the headstones, monuments and tombstone are made of marble or granite and you can check their quality only by viewing the same.

Most of the defects of the marble or granite can become prominently visible by pouring water on it and wiping it with a cloth.Once the dust is removed, you can see that defects in the forms of dots or cracks will show up. These types are generally available at discounted prices. If the nature of defect is such that the headstone will not break while getting carved or installed on the grave, you can buy the same. You can take the advice of the marble-worker for the same. These types of affordable headstones monuments are a good deal.

Be Practical:

You need to be practical. People who will come to offer their respects to the departed soul are least likely to view or closely examine the quality of headstone. So, why to go out of your budget to place top-quality stone when no one is bothered a single bit about the same.

That does not mean that you shall undervalue your emotions. It only means that you shall prevent moving in the emotional overdrive only to lead to a financial extravagance. Neither does it mean that you shall select the cheapest of all which will break while working on the stone.

Genuinely affordable headstone monuments:

Some of the companies cut their margins or use their economies of scale to offer you the cheap headstones, monuments, tombstones. These are the genuine ones, offering you top quality products at relatively cheap rates. References and searches can make you reach the right company over a period of time.

Historical Trends In The Use Of Tombstone

It is quite common for the people to use the terms ‘tombstone’ or ‘gravestone’ interchangeably. Well, in very simple terms and in common parlance, these are used to refer to the stone that are laid on the grave. But, looking more specifically, there is a definite difference between these two terms which is derived from the traditional usage. The term ‘tombstone’ was used to refer to the lid of the coffin which was made of stone. Whereas the ‘gravestone’ was laid over the grave. A ‘grave marker’ is any such thing which can mark a grave. Besides, there was also a custom to put a footstone at the foot side of the grave. This practice is not followed any longer. Today, in place of the footstones, people place the headstones towards the head-side.

It is interesting to note the changes in the shapes, materials used in making and themes of the carvings on the gravestones. These were earlier laid on the grave but slowly, these began to be placed in the vertical form. The size of the grave monument was representative of the social standing of the deceased. The higher the status, the bigger were the monuments. The tombstone and the grave monument used to be marked with different types of markers to carve out different types of designs.

The eighteenth century graves are commonly found to have the carvings symbolising the death. These bore the symbols of how the person had died. These reminded a person about the death and its inevitability, ostensibly to tell them to do good deeds. Skulls, variously carved out, were a common feature. In the nineteenth century, the skulls gave way to the angels and crosses. These symbols signified a strong belief in the existence of life after the death.

Grave markers are of different types. Some are affordable markers which are made from inexpensive materials. The more durable and long lasting the marker, the more is the price. Some types of tombstone monuments markers are:

1. Wood markers: If it were not for the problem of decomposition of wood, these would have been the most affordable markers of all.

2. Iron markers: Iron is yet another material used for the making of Grave monuments. The ones made from the wrought iron are more prone to rust and damage than the ones made of cast iron.

3. Limestone: Limestone lends itself to easy carvings since it is soft. At the same time, it must be said that this gets dissolved in the slightly acidic rain water, making it rather a poor choice as a grave monuments marker.

4. White Bronze: These sand cast zinc headstones are considered to be more long lasting and affordable markers than the marble.

5. Granite: This is quite an expensive proposition as a grave marker. It is hard and, therefore, difficult to carve out. Sandblasting of a rubber stencil on the surface of the marble is used to inscribe the names and dates.

People who need the tombstone for their deceased must negotiate to get a good deal since the traders make use of the sad moment to their advantage by not negotiating.

Considerations for selecting the right monuments

Graveyard stones are called by different names, like the headstones, the tombstone, the monuments, the cemetery stones and other names. These are the markers of the grave of a particular person which are used to identify him or her from a number of other graves in the cemetery. When you are bereaved of some near and dear one, you might wish to put the best headstone as a marker on the grave of the person. However, you must remember that your choice is not only conditioned by your likes and dislikes alone. These might also be affected by the rules and regulations related to these grave stones which might be followed by the cemetery.

So, there could be the following considerations of the cemetery for laying the tombstone monuments or the headstone, especially related to the size and the materials to be used for the laying of the same:

1. Time restriction for placing the wooden tombstone monuments: It is quite common that the cemeteries do not allow the placing of the wooden headstones on the graves. This is because the wood is prone to degradation under the open air weather conditions. Therefore, a more permanent structure might be required to be placed in place of the wooden one. The cemeteries may allow the continuance of the wooden structure for the next six months or so.

2. Shape and position of the graveyard stone: The cemeteries might also prescribe the shape and the position of these stones to be placed on these graves. These are done to facilitate grass cutting by machines or by the grass cutters. There could also be a concern of the space to be occupied by the bottom part of the headstones. With limited space availability, the cemeteries may not permit a bigger than the prescribed size of the same.

3. Specialist monuments masons requirement: Cemeteries do require regular maintenance and this is done with the help of the specialist monument masons. Their services might be required for placing the headstone monuments on the graves of the people, for rubbing the same to make the carving more visible and for adjusting the same.

Therefore, it is important that you shall consult the cemetery before going to the market for buying the one to place on the grave of the dead. The headstones monuments are made of different types of materials. These could be the stone, metals and even wood.

The most commonly used headstones are the ones made in marble or granite which are more durable than the other stone markers. Granite is not easy to carve, though it is long lasting. Marble and limestone are easy to carve but these are also prone to slow dissolution in rain which can make the inscriptions unreadable over a period of time. Sandstone usage is also widely prevalent. It is durable and easy to carve but is prone to delamination.

Therefore, your selection of the right tombstone monument is guided by a number of considerations like the rule of the cemetery, the pros and cons of using the different material tombstone monuments and even your own fancies.