Choosing the right headstone for someone who has passed away is a huge decision to make. Ideally, the stone will last for an extremely long time, so you'll want to choose a durable material. But perhaps even more important than that is for the monument to reflect the life and personality of the person resting there.
One of your best options for crafting a truly individual monument that fits the personality of the deceased is granite. In addition to the wide selection of colours available, granite is also an ideal material for etching. Here's how granite etching lets you personalise a headstone in unique ways.
Using photographs
Having a picture of someone on their grave monument is a lovely way to keep their memory alive. It doesn't get much more personal than reminding visitors and showing passersby what the person looked like.
With granite etching, you can have a copy of a favourite photo engraved permanently into the stone, with a fine level of detail. The effect isn't the same as printing—it's more like a carefully drawn portrait in greyscale, and it's distinctly beautiful. You can choose to have one large portrait at the centrepiece of the design or incorporate several smaller pictures, and specially shaped stones have sections where a picture fits perfectly.
Distinctive lettering styles
With traditional headstone engraving, the lettering styles are often quite limited due to the technique needed. Etched granite opens up many more possibilities, however.
Because of the fine detail possible and the use of lasers instead of older manual tools, you can choose styles with sweeping curves and more unusual features, helping you select something that really fits with the personality of the deceased.
Custom graphics
If a photo doesn't seem quite right, or if you want to add something extra, you can get graphics included in the monument design. This opens up a huge amount of possibilities.
You can use graphics to show someone's hobbies and interests, their career or other significant things in their life. There are usually some ready-made designs to choose from, but you can also get custom ones made.
Intricate embellishments
To add some unique finishing touches to a monument, granite can be etched with extra embellishments and decorations. You can add swirls, shapes or just about anything else you can think of to the headstone. Just adding some special touches to the design makes it more personal and helps it stand out from other headstones.