The stone lasts.
The lettering has to as well.
Cyrillic, Latin and Armenian text, portraits, emblems and ornament — cut in our own shop, proofed at full size before anything is blasted, and filled to the finish you specify.
Twelve ways to put
a mark into granite.
Most memorials use two or three together — sandblasted names, an etched portrait and a gilded emblem on the same face.
Sandblasted letteringFrosted letters cut into the polished face
V-cut engravingCut to a V section so the edge catches the light
Etched portraitPhotographic portrait etched into black granite
Laser sceneLandscapes and scenes engraved in depth
Carved relief letteringLetters standing proud of the ground
Gilded letteringGold leaf laid into the cut letter
Painted letteringEnamel filled for contrast on dark stone
Emblems & symbolsCrosses, icons, unit crests and florals
Ornament & bordersCarved frames, scrolls and vine work
Cast metal lettersBronze or stainless letters pinned to the face
Additional inscriptionsA second name cut later, matched to the first
RestorationOld lettering re-cut, repainted or re-gilded
How deep
the cut goes.
Depth decides how long the lettering survives and how it reads in low light. These are the four we quote against.
As a working rule, 10 mm of letter height reads at about one metre. Etched work is the finest and the shallowest — beautiful on a sheltered face, the first to fade on a wet exposed wall.
A misspelt name
is a replaced stone.
So the layout goes back to you at full size with every character as it will be cut, and nothing is blasted until that proof comes back signed.
- 01TextDocument, not an image
- 02LayoutFull-size proof to you
- 03ApprovalSigned off
- 04MaskingStencil cut and applied
- 05BlastingLetter cut to depth
- 06FillingPaint or gold laid
- 07CuringChecked and cleaned
- 08PackingFaces boarded
Contrast is
the whole job.
Dark polished stone with a frosted or gilded letter is the most legible combination there is. On a busy speckled stone, keep the type large or fill it.
Send the text
and the reading distance.