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.