Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Personalizing Your Monument




Families have definite ideas about what they want on their memorial.  Many will take ideas from existing monuments, within the cemetery, and embellish them. Others have their own design ideas, including verbiage and artwork that represent their religion, hobbies, sports, fraternal or social affiliations, favorite scenery or family photos.

The important thing is to let your counselor know, as best as you can, what you want in a memorial piece.  Send a picture of something you may have already seen or even draw a picture.  In other words...spell it out! Be sure to include as much information as possible. The more you participate in the design process, the faster your monument can be designed. Chances are your price quote will be much more accurate too.

Now that you have compiled all of the necessary design information, there is one additional question you'll need to answer concerning your monument design:

Should you include lithochrome (litho)?  And, if so, what color?

Lithochrome is paint that is put in the carving and lettering, after the design has been sandblasted on the monument.  Adding litho allows for easier reading of the memorial by adding contrast to design elements and lettering.  When choosing colors, you need to be mindful of the finish.  Remember that finished areas will already appear lighter when compared to polished surfaces.  

ie: Black litho will not show up in the polish of a black granite, however, it looks wonderful on frosted panels.

Litho is not required, in fact some cemeteries prohibit it’s use, so be sure to check with your cemetery prior to ordering your memorial stone.

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