How to Buy a Headstone

Step 1 : Stop By Our Shop

Let’s Begin our Headstone Buying Process.  The customer comes to a retail location to pick out a headstone. They discuss with the sales person their desired color of granite, budget and design ideas. The order form is then filled out and payment and delivery timeline is agreed upon. At this time, the sales person also collects the money for the cemetery foundation/installation.

Step 2 : The Design is Created

The order is then sent to the designer, who starts working on the proof. The proof is a paper copy of what the stone will look like. The customer then gets the proof and has to look over it carefully. Make sure that everything is spelled correctly and all dates and information are correct. Then they sign and date it and return it to the sales person for production. The sales person also sends the proof to the cemetery with all appropriate documents signed by the customer, as well as the check for the foundation/installation.

Step 3 : Make Sure the Design is Perfect

The sales person submits the proof to the manufacturing company, signaling that they can begin on the stone and the cemetery has been paid for.

Step 4 : From Stone to Memorial

The manufacturing facility cuts the stencil and submits the order, stencil and proof to the shop. The master craftsman coordinates which stones will be sandblasted depending on age of order, inventory and delivery timeline. Then the shop applies the stencil to the correct stone size and color and does 1^st and 2^nd cuts with Monumental Art Works four step verification. Once the stone is sandblasted, the shop washes it carefully with special granite solution to get off all residue from the stencil and any built up granite debris.

Step 5 (optional): Add a Personal Touch

If there are any portrait etchings, then the stone is wheeled into another location of the shop where the etching artist puts it on the Diamond Etching machine and sets up the etching to be done. The process of etching is done weeks beforehand with picking out a good quality photo and editing the said photo to the specifics of the granite size, color variations and customer requests.  This is only an optional step in the headstone buying process.

Step 6 : Delivery

The stone awaits for the manager to coordinate delivery to the cemetery. At this point, the manager calls on the cemetery to double check that the stone can be delivered and when (some cemeteries have certain days/times that stones can be dropped off or set).

Step 7 : The Memorial is Now Forever

Once the delivery has been done, the driver brings back the copy of the order.  This confirms it has been properly set or dropped off (whatever the cemetery requires). The sales person then notifies the customer and the customer then has the option of writing a review of their experience.  That’s it!  The Headstone Buying Process is Complete.

Memorial Formats