These are just a few informational tips for you (the consumer) to bring with you when it comes time to make the most permanent purchase of your life.

Many people have never purchased a cemetery memorial; therefore it would be in your best interest to first shop around and compare quality, craftsmanship and pricing before making a decision. Selecting a headstone will be the most permanent thing you will ever purchase in your life and we can’t stress enough that there is no reason to make a quick decision.

It is important during the process that you ask many questions. You should ask for the original origin of the granites. There are many different qualities of granites on the market today and they come from all over the world. On the Rockwell scale (a scale rating the hardness for stone products that ranges from 1-10 with a diamond being a 10) granite is rated as a 7.

It is always a good idea to ask to see actual examples of a companies finished product. Some companies do not shape their floral designs or blast lettering to a “V” instead these companies leave their lettering shallow and spray paint it black to make it seem like they blasted it to a “V”. When a letter is blasted properly it will shadow itself and require little or no paint. This is done to keep costs down The practice of shallow blasting is especially true of many of the web based monument companies we see today. They offer cheap prices and give the client a cheap product. The best thing you can do for the person you are purchasing the monument for is to buy it from a reputable manufacturer who does the work where they have their showroom.

With this information you the consumer can walk in the door of any monument company and you will not be going in blind to an industry you know nothing about. You will be confident and relaxed with a fresh clear mind ready to choose a beautiful and properly constructed memorial that will tastefully honor the people you love and miss so dearly.