What The Color Says

Recently I had a sweet family in that was interested in purchasing a memorial for their mother. They wandered around the showroom, checking out our different styles and designs, when they asked an interesting question.

"We want a color that shows she was bold. Do you have anything bold?"
I sat and thought for a moment and in donned on me that I had spent a considerable amount of time studying the symbolism on monuments, but I had not necessarily studied how a combination of both color and symbolism can offer a very powerful depiction of one's life and life story.

So I set out to learn about colors and what their selection may say about a person, and I wanted to share my findings with you.


Blue. The two most popular blue granites that we deal with are Blue Pearl and Bahama Blue.

Blue Pearl Granite

Blue pearl gets it's name from the it's pearly specks of blue. It really sparkles in the sunlight and looks so much prettier in person than it does in this sample photo on the blog!



Bahama Blue

The second blue that we carry is called Bahama Blue. Contrary to it's name, Bahama Blue does not come from the Bahamas. (That is disappointing, I know!) This blue really varies in appearance and can look rather gray in the sunlight depending upon the stock that is selected. It also has streaks and/or dots of purple throughout.


Based on the information I have found online, blue can indicate a personality that includes the following character traits:

Peaceful - Stable - Calm - Confident - Tranquil - Sincere - Affectionate - Having Integrity

 

 

 

 

Ebony Mist Granite

Black. Believe it or not, there are countless variations of black granite! The difference in the black colors lies in the grain and also in the color combinations. So you may see black with a misty gray throughout such as Ebony Mist.

 

Or, you may see a black granite with "gold" specs throughout called Gold Star Black.



Gold Star Black Granite



 

Of course there are many, many options when it comes to black granite (too many to list on the blog!), but black can indicate the following character traits:

Sophisticated - Powerful - Mysterious - Formal - Saavy

 



 

 

 



Gray. There are several gray granites to choose from, with our most popular being the classic Georgia Gray. Our Georgia Gray granite comes from Elberton, GA. You will notice it is primarily gray with a smattering of black and white fine grain dots throughout the stone.   This color can change in appearance depending upon if the stone is polished, sawn, dusted, frosted, or honed. It is a classic color and frequently found in cemeteries, especially in the south. Gray can indicate the following character traits:

Stable - Secure - Strength of Character - Authoritative - Mature

 

 

 

Pink. There are several rose or pink colored granites to choose from, with each color looking very different from the others.



Chapel Rose Granite



 When a family comes in requesting pink granite, the granites available versus their expectations may vary wildly. Because granite is a natural stone, there is no "hot pink" or "pastel pink" to choose from.

 

Two of our most popular pinks are Morning Rose and Chapel Rose.





Morning Rose Granite

Pink can indicate the following Character Traits:
Beautiful - Sensitive - Compassionate - Faithful - Friendly - Romantic - Loving & Kind



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

India Red Granite

Of course you are probably wondering what color the family I referenced at the beginning of this blog post chose. You'll recall they wanted something BOLD.

And, after learning more about their mother, we decided that an India Red Granite would be most appropriate.

 

Character traits most commonly indicated by Red are:

Loves Danger - Passionate - Daring - Romantic - Stylish - Excited - Energetic

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many granite colors to choose from, that I couldn't possibly include them all in this blog post. However, if you are interested in creating a memorial that tells your loved one's unique story, give one of our professional memorial counselors a call and we will be glad to help!

 









There is Empowerment in Remembering.

Have you ever seen Dr. Suess' hit movie, The Lorax? It's a fun yet cautionary tale that promotes environmental awareness, self motivation and sustainability- all very important things for our society to remember.

As I was watching the movie with my own children, I couldn't help but become excited about a small prop that is used. It is a simple stone with the simple word "UNLESS" engraved on it. As the movie went on the Onceler proclaimed,

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing will get better. It's not."

What a powerful statement! Even more importantly, what a wonderful message to empower our children to realize that, if used appropriately, their voices can be heard to make important changes- changes for the better.

I became inspired by the meaning of the little rock, as did the staff here at Emerson Monument Company, and decided to help the Lorax communicate his message by taking it to the local schools. And I am SO glad that we did because it has been a really fun and enjoyable project for us all to work on!


Presenting Our Stone to a Local Elementary School 



When we presented our stones to the local schools we incorporated it into their curriculum in several fun and meaningful ways.

At one school we incorporated the presentation into their Kindergarten Career Day. I began my career day presentation by telling the kids that I am a Memorialist. (a big word for 5 and 6 year olds!) I told them that in my career I help people remember important people and important events. They seemed to understand that and even had some suggestions about the people and events they think are important. 

I then read the portion of , The Lorax, to them that illustrates the UNLESS rock.

"What do you think The Lorax's important message means? And why is it important?" They had some wonderful (and, I will admit, some very funny) answers! "But why is it important that this message be remembered by future generations?" I challenged.

And, most importantly of all, "Why do you think the Lorax chose to engrave his message on a stone rather than simply write it on paper or post it on Facebook?"

All around us, in our community centers and public places, in our cemeteries, in our gardens, and even in our businesses, there are dedications to those people and events that we regard as important and special. They are individuals, groups and historical events that have defined who we are, where we come from and why we think and act the way we do.

We honor them by keeping their memories alive- forever. But in a world of dwindling permanence, the only way to truly keep those memories alive- even decades after we, ourselves, are gone- is to etch those memories in stone to ensure they remain memorable for generations yet to come.

That is my objective as a memorialist- to tell stories in stone that will be cherished and remembered for generations; To honor the lives and events that have defined us, and to do so in a beautifully permanent way.

My name is Alison Raymer and I am proud to be a memorialist at Emerson Monument Company and to work with the families and communities which I serve.

Foliage...Foliage...And More Foliage!

The spring and fall colors found in our Northwest Arkansas cemeteries are some of our favorite! And, since we are in the middle of our fall season, I wanted to share some fall photos with you and also invite you to share your own fall cemetery photos in our Cemeteries in the Fall Photo Contest. This contest is found on our Facebook page and is beginning to pick up momentum!

To participate simply like our website page, go to "Photo Contest" and then upload and invite your friends to vote.

A couple of years ago I purchased my first "nice" camera for the purpose of taking photos of monuments that we had made in the cemetery.

As I practiced and became better at photography, I discovered that I have a passion for not only capturing memorials, but also for capturing memorials that are surrounded by beautiful fall colors.

I wanted to share some of those photos with you. Please note all of these photos are the property of Emerson Monument Co. and may not be used without prior permission for any purpose.

Engraving- What Makes it Different.

Did you know there are several different methods that are currently used to engrave monuments? And while there isn't truly a right or wrong way of engraving a memorial, each monument company typically utilizes a technique that is unique to their organization and, thus, distinguishes their work from anyone elses.

Single Processing.

Single processing is utilized by many monument companies in an effort to save time and money. What they do is cover the monument with a rubber stencil and then remove the pieces of stencil that create the text. Once the stencil is removed, they sandblast the text and fill the sandblasted letters with mud or clay. They then remove the pieces of stencil that create the panels and sandblast them, wash out the mud, and consider themselves done. This process creates slightly rounded edges on the letters, thus eliminating a crisp, clean font.

Double Processing.

At Emerson Monument Company we utilize a technique commonly referred to as Double Processing. While this process does require more time and effort, we believe that it works to create a crisp, clean letter that is easily recognized from it's single-processed counterparts.

This technique, while largely considered an art of the past, is the process of applying a rubber stencil to the granite and then removing the panel portions first. We then sandblast the panels and then very carefully replace the stencil on top. We then remove the stencil from the text and sandblast it. This is referred to as double processing because the stencil touches the granite on two separate occasions.

At Emerson Monument Company we believe that, by double processing our monuments, we are providing the highest quality product to our customers at all times.

-Springdale, Ark.  Emerson Monument Company of Springdale, AR, is being featured in the June issue of the Monument Builders News. One of their original monuments, an upright memorial with a propeller bolted to the front, will be shown on the cover and is being commended as exhibiting creativity, extreme craftsmanship and a commitment to capture the essence in which the customer wished to be remembered.

The same issue further recognizes the company on both a national and international level for contributions to the industry in the area of creativity and innovation.

The Monument Builders News is a monthly membership-only publication with a circulation of approximately 2,000 worldwide, making it the largest monument industry publication of its kind.

Emerson Monument Company is the region’s largest locally owned and operated monument company, having serviced Northwest Arkansas, Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri since 1914.

Over the decades Emerson Monument Company has been recognized on both the state and local levels for their cemetery repair efforts, including a major restoration at Fayetteville’s historic Evergreen Cemetery in 2006.

“We are honored to be recognized in the Monument Builders News! We take pride in our craftsmanship and our unwavering dedication to customer service,” says Alison Raymer, Co-owner of Emerson Monument Company.