Headstone Etching or Headstone Engraving?

Headstone Etching or Headstone Engraving?

January 20, 2023

A headstone is a very personal thing. It can reflect the life of the person who has passed and the person they were. When it comes to designing your own headstone or that of someone you love, you can do many things to make it personal.

What Is Headstone Engraving?

Engraving is a process by which pieces of the stone are chipped away or engraved so that the text or picture is sunken into the stone. This is often use when you are doing things like the names and dates of birth and death for the person that the stone is being made for. It can also be used for designs and for those who want something that will be harder to wear away.

What Is Headstone Etching?

Headstone etching is a bit more delicate of a process. With etching, you will be using a laser to cut the image into the stone; this is often a much shallower cut that will not be as deep or as pronounced. Etching is often used for more detailed images you want to be crisper, which cannot be done with a larger engraving tool. Etchings for headstones are stunning. They can show the person or the things they loved, and they can be used to create intricate and highly detailed images that will stay with you forever.

Etching gravestones is great if you want something that is a bit more modern or that is not your typical epitaph and names and dates.

Etching Versus Engraving Headstones

Both get the job done, plain and simple. Both methods are going to be used to put things on your headstone or the headstone of the person that you are honoring. If you want just a typical name and birth and death dates, engraving is more than enough for your stone or the stone of the person that you are honoring. If you want something that is more intricate or detailed, etching is a better method to choose. 

There is some price and skill disparity between etching and engraving; making sure that you are aware of that before you agree to the process is important. Etching generally costs a bit more because it takes finer tools to accomplish. Etching is also something that not all headstone makers can do. If you want a stone etched, it is always best to talk with the headstone company before placing an order to see if they will be able to do the job you want done.

Your headstone and the headstone of your loved ones are important. You need to make sure you are happy with the design, the overall look and the feel of the stone so that you can honor those that have passed.

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