Epitaphs
Epitaphs to Honor a Loved One
An epitaph is a short verse, quote or text inscribed on a headstone or monuments honoring a deceased person. Some are specified by the deceased person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial.
Depending on the monument design, most epitaphs are brief records of the family of the deceased, and nearly all include the deceased’s name, year or date of birth and date of death. Many list family and their relation to them; such as Father / Mother / Son / Daughter etc often with an expression of love or respect, for example: “beloved father of …”.
Three ways to carve an epitaph:
1. Laser-Etched Headstones: An artist, using a computerized etcher, or by hand, etches into the granite, piercing the polished surface. This usually allows for more detail than the sandblasting technique, and pictures or other artwork can also be duplicated to near-photo quality. Generally darker granites are used for this method but on lighter colored granites, a black granite inlay can provide the necessary natural contrast to allow laser or hand-etched images to remain durable with minimum maintenance.
2. Sandblast Design Headstones: A stencil is cut and taped to the headstone and the design and letters are sandblasted into the granite. A memorial designer/artist can adapt this process to any color of granite. Sandblasting is the most common method of carving granite memorials since it creates the highest contrast and requires the least maintenance.
3. Hand-Carved Designer Headstones: An artisan, by hand, carves full round statuary or bas-relief images into the granite to create a more three-dimensional appearance.
Just as each person is one-of-a-kind, each one of the headstones crafted by our Preferred Provider, Quiring Monuments, Inc., can be customized via a complimentary consultation you can have with one of their memorial services experts. From that personal discussion, they will provide you a free preliminary drawing that will get the process started.
