FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely! We LOVE it when clients come to us with their unique vision—that is what the memorialization process is all about!

You may be surprised at how many techniques and products we have to create a headstone or memorial that stands out and tells a unique story. Additionally, most of our “stock” designs are fully customizable.

If you see something on our social media or in our catalog that you love but would like to change it here or there, ask!

For the most part, this is no problem. While we do try to respect the creative process of our fellow memorial makers, the truth is that very little (if anything) hasn’t already been done by someone, somewhere.

Headstones are displayed in the public eye, so it’s pretty difficult to claim a “copyright,” and most design elements (angels, hearts, flowers, and other emblems) are part of the public domain.

Feel free to show us your ideas, and we can guide you from there.

YES! We don’t believe in “cookie-cutter,” so we encourage you to make your design personal and memorable!

While we offer a large selection of some of our most popular “pre-made” designs (click here to view our catalog), we are happy to modify them as you desire.

Feel free to peruse our designs as a starting point, or maybe you will find something already “perfect.”

Not the creative type? No worries, we can guide you with just a little input!

GREAT question!! As with almost all products, internet sites have become popular and often sell on price. In our experience, the quality leaves much to be desired. Many of these headstones are made overseas and do not feature the workmanship we pride ourselves on as 3rd generation professional memorialists. We have seen headstones made with inferior granite and other shortcuts. Additionally, you may be limited to a tiny selection of designs, wording, emblems, etc.

At Bell Memorials & Granite Works, we GUARANTEE you will love your design and have every opportunity to approve each layout and any and all options—every step of the way!

Also, if you are considering ordering from a website (not a full-service shop like ours), you should be very careful to understand your cemetery regulations clearly. Bell Memorials & Granite Works will happily walk you through this process to ensure you do not purchase something the cemetery will reject. Sadly, we hear stories all the time from cemeteries about headstones that arrive via UPS, etc., that are rejected because they are non-conforming or are damaged in shipment.

If you have a budget to consider, we are committed to helping you select something that meets your needs and conforms to cemetery guidelines.

We are happy to offer a full-service option for those who don’t live nearby or whose schedules make it difficult to visit us in person. Whether we work with you remotely or in our office, you will receive the same exact service.

We have an extremely efficient system to ensure we can communicate clearly and timely with you about all aspects of your order. Click here for more info.

Of course, we would love to meet you in person in our showroom if you prefer! Click here to schedule an appointment at your convenience. We are even open on non-holiday Saturdays from 9 am to 12 pm.

This is a common scenario, and it’s called a “companion headstone.” We can create a beautiful headstone with just the name and information of the person(s) who is (are) deceased, leaving a blank space for adding the future decedent’s info, or we can place the name and birthdate only for the person who is still living, with a space left for the future date of passing. There is no “right or wrong” – it comes down to personal preference and whether the person still living is comfortable with seeing their information on the headstone.

At the time of passing for the remaining person(s), we add the necessary information (name and/or birth date and date of passing). This is called a “final date service,” and we use a portable unit to do the engraving on-site at the cemetery (we do not remove the headstone to bring it to our shop). Final dates are a separate fee from the initial purchase of the stone and are due and payable at the time of need.

That’s a tough one. Unfortunately, headstones are in the elements 24/7 and are exposed to things like irrigation, fertilizer, etc., in the cemetery. The most difficult challenge affecting granite and bronze is the minerals in groundwater (rain isn’t the problem; it’s the irrigation water). Given enough time and proximity to sprinklers, these minerals will leave white calcium and other deposits that will eventually cloud and discolor a stone. You can clean the stone with Windex or water/dish soap to keep its surface level clean and to help the paint in the design stay clean. Even the high-quality, professional-only paint we use will eventually succumb to the sun, dirt, and water found in the cemetery. It’s hard to say how long a stone will look “good” in the cemetery, as there are so many variables you can never predict the outcome. We have seen stones that are 10+ years old and still look pretty “fresh,” we have seen some that are only a few years old and already looking very weathered.

Please DO NOT apply “treatments” to the surface of the granite. We have heard of people using baby oil, motor oil, WD-40, and other similar things, which will RUIN the granite! Granite is still porous, and anything applied to it will be absorbed. Similarly, we do NOT recommend using products designed to “seal” indoor granite (such as countertops). Indoor granite is not exposed to the elements, so many of these products can have an adverse reaction to the sun and chemicals from fertilizers.

Since it’s difficult (if not impossible) to win the battle against the elements, we advise just accepting that weathering and patina are part of the process and are to be expected. THE GOOD NEWS IS: If your loved one’s stone looks “shabby,” we can professionally clean it and restore it to almost new! Please click here to see some of our before-and-after photos.

Click here to fill out our form for a cleaning/restoration quote.

We do not offer laser etching. We offer a better type of etching using our state-of-the-art sandblasting cabinet.

Remember that laser etching is a relatively new technology (as far as headstones are concerned). Laser has “caught on” in a big way. It looks good when created but almost immediately begins to look bad after a short time in the cemetery—this is especially true on flat markers.

Laser does not cut into the granite like sandblasting does. It only ‘burns’ the polish off to create a reverse, surface-level image—if you run your fingers over a laser-etched image, you would not even feel it! Laser cannot be retouched or re-painted, as no paint is involved.

With a laser, the images and lettering get obscured very quickly as water spots get on the granite. Additionally, laser etching presents challenges when it comes to adding final dates. The laser-etched headstones being promoted on websites and by some monument makers only show the stones when they are finished, when they look “great”; we see what they look like a few years later in the cemetery.

Think about it. A quality headstone should last forever and, with a reasonable professional cleaning, should be able to be restored or repainted.

After carefully evaluating laser etching technology, Bell Memorials & Granite Works determined it could not offer the level of quality we are committed to.

HOWEVER, we DO offer a better type of etching that will give similar results and meet the standard of excellence we want to provide. If you have further questions or have a laser-type design in mind, we would love to see it and discuss it with you! Click here for assistance.