Quarry to cemetery
Quarry to cemetery, stage by stage
12 stages, in order, so you can explain to a family exactly how their memorial is made.
Who does what
Our quarry and manufacturing partners cut and polish the granite and send it to us as a blank. Everything that makes it a memorial — layout, lettering, carving, etching and leafing — is done in our Youngstown shop, from a proof you approved.
Follow one memorial
12 stages, in order, from the quarry to the cemetery. Every stage is listed below.
Quarry block
Granite is quarried in large raw blocks and graded for color and consistency.
Slabbing
Saws cut the block into slabs at the thickness the memorial needs.
Polishing
Faces are ground and polished in stages until the granite shows its full color.
Cutting and shaping
The slab is cut to size and shaped: top, edges and any custom outline. It arrives in Youngstown as a blank.
CAD layout and stencil
The approved proof is laid out to scale and cut into a stencil that masks the stone.
How proofs workSandblast carving and lettering
Exposed areas are blasted to carve the names, dates, epitaph and symbols.
Finishes and letteringEtching
Where the design calls for it, fine detail is etched into polished black granite.
Leafing
Where the design calls for it, carved letters and designs are finished with leaf.
Inspection
The finished stone is checked against the approved proof, line by line: spelling, dates, layout, lettering and finish.
Crating
The memorial is crated to protect polished faces and edges in transit.
Drop-ship or Gemstone setting
Nationwide, direct to the cemetery. In Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia our own crews set it and file the permit.
See the setting standardFinished memorial
The memorial stands on its lot, as the family approved it.
Where you come in
Choose the granite
Pick from our granite colors, or ask your Gemstone representative for a sample kit to show the family.
See granite colorsCheck the cemetery
Confirm the cemetery's rules before the family chooses.
Cemetery checklistApprove the proof
Check spelling, dates and name position with the family, then approve.
How proofs workPlan the timing
See lead times by product before you commit to a date.
See lead timesSend a design request
Tell us what the family wants. Our designer does the rest.