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Headstones

Six choices make a headstone: its size, shape, color, finish, words, and accessories. Here is what each one means.

Choosing a headstone

Every headstone comes down to six decisions. We’ll go through each with you.

  1. Size. How large, and how many names it needs to hold.
  2. Shape. Flat, bevel, slant, upright, ledger, or wrap, described below.
  3. Color. Nine granites, from light Grey to Jet Black.
  4. Finish. Polished, smooth, or rough.
  5. Information. Names, dates, art, and an epitaph.
  6. Accessories. A picture, frame, vase, light, or plaque.
Rows of headstone samples in gray, pink, red, and black granite on concrete pads at the Marksville yard.
Headstone samples at the Marksville yard.

Flat markers

Also called grass markers

Flat markers lie level on the ground. They can also sit on top of a vault.

Cost
The least expensive shape
Side view: set into the ground, level with the grass.
A flat gray granite marker for an infant, engraved with a teddy bear.

Bevel markers

Also called pillow or hickey markers

A bevel marker rises higher at the back than at the front, so it reads more easily than a flat marker where a flat stone would be hard to see.

Side view: higher at the back than the front.

Slants

Also called wedges

Slants are the most popular headstone for concrete vaults: affordable, and uniform with the vault. Flat and bevel markers fit well on vaults too.

Cost
Average, the middle of the range
Side view: a steep, slanted face on a base.
A gray granite slant headstone with carved roses and an oval porcelain portrait, set on a concrete vault.

Uprights

Also called die and base, or tablet and platform

Upright is the name for any headstone that stands up. There are countless styles and shapes, and an upright can be seen from farther away than any other stone.

Uprights often go with larger graves and vaults, and can be sized for two or more names.

Cost
Higher end
Side view: a tall die standing on a wider base.
A red granite upright headstone carved with a cross and flowers.
A black granite upright etched with a country landscape beneath the name and dates.

Ledgers

Also called granite slabs or grave covers

A ledger is a granite slab laid on the ground, on top of a concrete vault, or on top of a brick tomb.

Flat concrete tops hold moisture, grow mildew, and can crack. A ledger keeps the weather off.

Cost
More than concrete, but the low upkeep and long life make up for it
Side view: a granite slab over the top of a vault.
Two gray granite ledgers covering side-by-side graves, with headstones at the head.
A dark granite ledger and wrap covering a double grave, with headstones behind it.

Wraps

Also called wrap and cap, or rails and cap

Wraps do two jobs: they look good, and they protect the vault.

The sides of a vault, especially low near the ground, hold moisture and grow mold and mildew. Settling can open cracks that hold standing water, and because water expands when it freezes, winter widens them. Granite sides and a cap keep all of that off the concrete.

Side view: granite sides and a cap around a vault.
A red granite wrap and cap around a family grave, with a double headstone on top.
A black granite wrap covering the side of a vault.

Granite colors

Nine granites, shown here from the sample stones in our yard. Granite changes with the light, so come see the samples in person before you decide.

  • Grey
  • Dark Grey
  • Coral Grey
  • Kershaw
  • Salisburyalso Sunset Pink
  • Morning Rose
  • Mahogany
  • India Red
  • Jet Blackalso Flash Black
Headstone samples in several granite colors lined up side by side for comparison.
Sample stones side by side, so the colors can be compared in daylight.

Try a name on each color

Cast bronze, leather background. A preview only. Before anything is cast or engraved, you approve a written proof.

A veteran's bronze plaque mounted on a gray granite upright, listing service in Vietnam, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and an Air Medal.
A finished veteran’s plaque, cast in bronze and set in granite.
Years
Material
Emblem

When it reads right, call either yard to start a proof.

Marksville (318) 264-3480Alexandria (318) 955-0303Any hour (318) 253-8845

Finishes

The surface finish changes how a stone catches light and how it wears. The most common:

  • Polished, graded P1 through P5
  • Rock pitched, also called balanced rock pitched (BRP)
  • Frosted, also called steeled
  • Smooth
  • Sawn, also called balance sawn

Less common: shell rocked, and scalloped (dish).

A gray double headstone labeled to show polished, steeled or frosted, and rock-pitched finishes.
Polished, steeled, and rock-pitched surfaces on one stone.
A gray headstone labeled to show three finishes: a steeled surface, a polished surface, and rock-pitched edges.
A steeled face, polished panel, and rock-pitched edges.

Art, symbols, and epitaphs

Choose from thousands of emblems and designs in the DesignMart monument clip-art catalogs. Each catalog is sorted into categories. Write down the category and the catalog number printed under the design you like (for example, Angels DM034) and bring it to either yard.

Monument art, volume 1Monument art, volume 2

Pictures, portraits, and scenes can also be etched into dark granite, and many families add a verse or a few words of their own.

A gray granite stone etched with a hand of playing cards and a slot machine.
A black granite monument etched in color with the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child.

Talk it through with us

Call either yard, or come walk the rows and see the granite in person.

Any hour (318) 253-8845
Marksville (318) 264-3480Alexandria (318) 955-0303