No matter what the occasion, we all know the importance of making a good first impression. What then can be said about making an everlasting impression. Selecting a grave marker to honor your loved one is a prime example, and one that is literally set in stone. If you are in that process, the following may be something worth considering.

Choosing the right granite color can be just as significant as selecting a font and wording. It is your special way for giving honor to the life your loved one lived, and a way for those walking by to get a gimps of the life and love you shared. To help you get started through your process, here are a few fun facts about colors and their representation in addition to granite colors available.

To begin, it is always strongly recommended that you contact the cemetery where the granite will be set first. More often then not, the cemetery will have restrictions limiting your options of size, style, and color of the granite you can choose from. This will help ensure you do not go through the entire process only to have the cemetery reject your marker.

If you are choosing to go with a photo etching or hand pitched engraved photo on the grave marker, then black is your only option because it is the only granite color the photo will project off of the best. Black granite is a beautiful and elegant color on its own or with a photo. It is a moderately priced when compared to other granite colors.

Colors in general have an broad meaning and vary from culture to religion. Their mere sign radiate feelings of calm, anger, happiness, and tranquility. For those reasons we are going to focus of the general meaning of colors and what they represent, and the granite colors available in those shades.

Blue is said to represent peace, sincerity, confidence, integrity, and tranquility. It is the color of the sky and water. Blue was commonly used to depict the Virgin Mary in art and represented her link to heaven. Blue by far is the most favored color. Today, the most common blue granite used in cemeteries is Blue Pearl. Blue Pearl granite is a more expensive granite for grave markers and quarried in Norway. Another granite color that has a blue tone, and used in cemeteries, is Bahama Blue which is quarried in India and has a higher density than Blue Pearl granite.

Green is associate with nature, youth, hope, life, and freshness. It is the holy color in Muslim countries and the color of luck in Ireland. Green granite most commonly used in cemeteries are Tropic Green quarried in India, Emerald Pearl quarried in Norway, and Tunis Green quarried in Brazil. Of the three, Emerald Pearl is the most common, dense, and expensive granite. An ideal color to choose if your loved one enjoyed nature, or if fitting, choosing something more culture based.

Imperial Red, the name itself demands attention. Neolithic or New Stone Age hunters, considered red to be the most important color and capable of life-giving powers, so they used it on the graves of their dead. Today some of what red symbolizes is love, strength, power, joy, and romance. Red granite can be purchased in deep-rich shades like an India Red quarried in India or an Imperial Red quarried in Sweden; a lighter more orange like tone such as Sunset Red quarried in Texas (USA) is also available. The darker more rich colors like the Imperial Red and India Red are the more expensive of the red tone granite’s, but less expensive than the premium blue and green granite colors. A beautiful vibrant granite color to make a powerful statement of love without words and at a glance.

For a more gentle and softer color, Pink granite makes an excellent selection. Like red, pink is also a symbol of unconditional love. It is a gentle color and depending on which side of the fence you’re on, a color that can be gender based. That said, the pink granite today is often selected for females young and old. A fun fact about pink, a pink carnation means “I will never forget you”. Colonial Rose granite is a beautiful pink granite quarried in Canada and widely used in cemeteries for monuments and markers.

Gray granite can have a varying effect depending on the shade. It can give off different perceptions and be neutral all at the same time. In Christianity, Gray is a symbol of resurrection of the dead, and was depicted in medieval art by Jesus wearing a Gray cloak in the last judgement. Choosing a Dark Gray granite such as Imperial Gray, can give off a more stable, mature, and powerful feeling. The lighter shade of gray such as Georgia Gray granite has a more calming and soothing effect and is often associated with loss. Because of its affordability, Georgia Gray granite is the most common color used for grave markers and is quarried in Elberton, Georgia (USA).

One of the more affordable granite colors available is the Sierra White granite quarried in Raymond California (USA). It is similar to the Georgia Gray granite, but it has larger white, black and gray specks. The visible grain in the Georgia Gray is more compressed and has less black specs. For a more elegant and luxurious looking stone, White Marble also makes a great substitute; however, it is more expense. The tradition of brides wearing white dresses was started by the ancient Greeks; brides in the US wore pastels until the late 1800’s. White is a symbol of hope, simplicity, cleanliness, purity, and goodness.

Whatever decision you make on your loved one’s grave marker there is no wrong granite color, font, or wording; just your right way to say “I Love You and I Will Never Forget You”.