Resources
Monument terms and proof codes
The words on our quotes and proofs, in plain English: the parts and types of a memorial, the process terms, and every finish code you will see on a proof.
Parts and types
The pieces of a memorial and the names of the memorials themselves.
Apex top
An upright top that rises to a point at the center.
Base
The wider stone an upright die sits on. It usually matches the die unless you ask otherwise.
Bevel marker
A marker that sits above the ground with a face sloping from 8 in. at the back to 6 in. at the front.
Columbarium
A granite structure of niches for urns, in 2-, 4- and 6-niche standard units, custom and sculpted units, or a build-your-own combination of niche unit, base and tablet.
Companion
A memorial for two people, usually a couple, with both names on one stone or in two crypts side by side.
Coping
The low granite border, also called curbing, that outlines a family lot.
Corner post
A short granite post marking a corner of a lot, often carrying the family initial.
Crypt
The sealed chamber in a mausoleum that holds a casket. Crypts can sit side by side or stacked.
Die (tablet)
The upright stone that carries the inscription and design on an upright monument.
Flush marker
A marker set level with the lawn. The standard size is 24 x 12 x 4 in.
Ledger
A flat slab covering the full grave, cut to the grave size the cemetery allows.
Mausoleum
A private above-ground structure of one or more crypts, from a single crypt to a walk-in family estate.
Niche
A single compartment for an urn, usually in a columbarium, with an inscribed front.
Nosing
The narrow flat edge at the front and top of a slant marker’s angled face. Our standard slants have 2.5 in. nosing.
Oval, serpentine, straight, ridge and roof tops
The 6 top shapes of an upright die: a single arc, an S-curve, a flat top, a slope rising to a ridge, a central point, and two pitches meeting at a peak.
Slant marker
A marker standing 16 in. high on its own base with a steep angled face. Tops come serpentine, oval or straight.
Upright monument
A die and base monument. Single uprights and double (companion) uprights are the two standard sizes.
Walk-in
An enclosed family mausoleum you can step inside, with bronze doors and the crypts within.
Process
The words on quotes, order confirmations and setting paperwork.
BOL (bill of lading)
The freight document you sign on delivery. Note any damage on it before signing; it is what supports a claim against the carrier.
Design fee
The $50 charged on a design request that does not become an order, credited back if you later order.
Dowel
The stainless steel pin that locates the die on the base when a monument is set.
Drop-ship
Shipping the finished memorial from our shop direct to the cemetery, so you never receive, store or move the stone.
Lead time
Production time, counted from the day you approve the proof. Markers 4 to 6 weeks; uprights, cremation memorials and bronze 6 to 8; columbaria and niches 10 to 12.
Lot map location
The cemetery’s record of exactly where a memorial goes. We need it before we set.
Permit
The cemetery’s authorization to set a memorial. We file it when our crews set in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
Proof
The drawing you and the family approve before production: lettering, dimensions, finish, material and name position.
Proof-approval cut-off
The date to approve the proof by for a seasonal setting: March 1 Mother’s Day, March 15 Memorial Day, April 1 Father’s Day, October 1 Christmas.
Retailer Agreement
The trade terms you sign online when your account opens. We countersign and both sides receive the completed copy.
Revision
A change to a proof after it is sent. The first 2 are free; further revisions are charged.
Sample kit
Labeled, polished samples of our core granite colors, printed color sheets for the rest, and a Product Brochure, available to account holders through their Gemstone representative.
Setting
Placing the memorial on its foundation at the cemetery. Our own crews set in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
Setting cushions and compound
High-density plastic cushions seat the die on the base and setting compound seals the joint. No lead, no washers.
Trade quote
Your price for the memorial as drawn, sent with every proof. Partners resell at their own markup.
Proof codes
The abbreviations on a proof. Balance (Bal. or B/) means every surface not otherwise named.
Pol. 1
Polished front.
Pol. 2
Polished front and back.
Pol. 3
Polished front, back and top.
Pol. 5
Polished front, back, top and both ends. There is no Polish 4.
PFT
Polished flat top.
PS
Polished slant face.
BRP
Balance rock pitch: all unnamed faces rock pitched. The standard base finish.
STL, Bal. Stl, B/S
Steeled (frosted); balance steeled.
PM
Polished margin: a polished top with a 2 in. polished margin, rock pitch sides.
PB
Polished bevel: a polished bevel front, rock pitch sides with rock nosing.
CM
Carbo margin.
RDS
Rounds.
B/SWN
Balance sawn: the flat surface left by the saw on every unnamed face.
SE
Sawn ends.
OT, FT, Serp. Top
Oval top, flat top and serpentine top: the top shape of the die or slant.
Rock pitch
The hand-split, rough natural edge that gives a stone its quarried look.
See the codes on a real proof
Send a design request and your proof comes back with a trade quote in 7 to 14 days, every finish and polish marked with the codes above.