Losing a loved one is never easy. Figuring out how to honor their memory is never easy. Nothing about grief is easy.
But grieving is even more difficult when you have to make so many decisions after your loved one dies, and you barely understand the difference between your options. You don’t want to risk making the wrong decision and ruin your loved one’s memorial!
Here is everything you need to know about gravesite memorials, and the difference between laser etching and diamond hand etching – a decision you’ll have to make.
Personalizing Memorials
Gravesite memorials are one of the easiest ways to memorialize your loved ones. These are often headstones, benches, or chairs placed above or near the grave of the deceased. Gravesite memorials are often made of granite.
Memorials usually have a design with your your loved one’s name, birthdate, death date, and some quotes or a design depicted on the stone.
You want to make sure these memorials are perfect, because they’re going to last for a long time. But with different ways of getting these designs onto the granite, how do you make sure you choose the one that’s right for what you want?
There are a few design options. Engraving is an option, but it’s not great for the details most people want on memorials. Etching is the most popular method. The two ways of etching designs onto gravesite memorials are laser etching and diamond hand etching.
Check out SuperNova International for some gravesite memorial ideas.
What Is Laser Etching?
Laser etching uses a laser engraving machine to transfer images onto stone. The etching machine is controlled by a computer. Because of the computer control, the designs are incredibly accurate. It can look like a photograph has been directly transferred to the granite.
If you want to include a photograph, which is a great way to really make it possible to memorialize your loved one, then laser etching is the way to go. It’s also the better option if you want complex designs etched onto the granite.
This is a cheaper option than diamond hand etching. The process is also much quicker than diamond hand etching.
What Is Diamond Hand Etching?
Diamond hand etching is when a professional uses diamond-tipped tools to etch images directly onto the granite. Because these designs are done by hand, the artisans can combine images, like creating family portraits out of individual photographs.
These images are created by etching one dot at a time. This method creates deeper etchings than using a laser etching machine, so it works better on darker stone because of the starker contrast.
But, because it is done by hand, this method is usually more expensive than laser etching, and it takes a lot longer to complete.
Memorializing Your Loved Ones
Gravesite memorials allow you to keep a physical reminder of your loved one, memorializing them long after their death. Now that you know the difference between laser etching and diamond hand etching, you can make the right decision for your loved one and how you want to memorialize them.
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