Nothing looks quite like natural stone for a burial monument. The glossy surface, the play of color, the intricate patterns… but what’s the story behind these headstones? Granite Granite is a common rock and frequently used for gravestones. It’s an intrusive igneous rock, meaning it is cooled from magma (underground lava) deep below the earth’s surface. Like all rocks, it…
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The final step of laying your loved one to rest is by placing a burial monument on their resting place. A monument offers closure to the relatives and friends, in knowing that they will have a physical place to remember their loved one. During such moments, determining the right time to add a burial monument can be challenging. However, here…
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Installing a headstone is among the best ways of honoring a deceased loved one. Although installing it is an important aspect of honoring a departed relative, there are many important things one needs to understand about headstone installation. Here is what you need to know about the installation process of headstones. Understand the cemetery regulations first Each cemetery has a…
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When you first put a loved one to rest you can often be too lost in the grief of moment to consider the maintenance needs of their gravesite and burial monument in the years to come. While the most common types of memorial markers are built to last for the span of many lifetimes, this does not necessarily mean that…
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Family members pass away at different times, sometimes many years apart. Yet many family members expressly wish to be laid to rest in peace together. As a surviving family member, you may find it very important to honor this wish. But how does it work with burial monuments and headstone engraving? Can I add a name or inscription to a…
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Graves that don’t have vases often make cemetery visitors who bring fresh or artificial flowers uncomfortable and frustrated during their visit. Without a vase, they usually have to place fresh flowers on the grave and the flowers then wilt rapidly without access to water. Even if a visitor brings a portable vase, high winds can tip it over and cause…
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We recently made an amazing discovery that we would like to share with all of you. In the process of having the offices here at Columbia Gardens Memorials repainted, our amazing staff stumbled on a piece of our monument company’s history. We discovered an old newspaper article written by Robert (Bob) Thomas, owner of Columbia Gardens Memorials. The article is…
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From the ancient days in Egypt when Pharaohs were entombed in the great pyramids, to the national cemeteries memorializing today’s veterans and historical figures, burial monuments have been and still are an important part of our memorial process. Though you may not be looking to install something as large and extravagant as a pyramid, there are many different options for…
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When a loved one passes on and the funeral has been planned and concluded, it’s time to pick out the headstone for your loved one. Often, many family members have ideas about what they want on the headstone, and these may differ with other people’s plans. This is especially true in large families where the surviving spouse, siblings, children and…
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If you’ve ever gone into a cemetery, you may have noticed that most of the headstones, particularly the modern ones, are made from solid granite. There are many reasons that modern families decide to memorialize their loved ones with granite headstones. In fact, more than half of all the natural stone products sold in the US are granite ones. The…
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