The Difference Between Headstone, Tombstone And Gravestone

December 12, 2022

When a loved one passes away, it is essential to celebrate their life with a stone memorial. Yet, deciding which stone memorial best honors your loved one can be confusing due to the variety of stone types available. Moreover, choosing the Stone that is right for your loved one's memorial and budget can be daunting.

Well, this is why this blog post was created, to help you get a better understanding of the custom monument options available for your memorial Stone and their differences. Continue reading!

Headstones

Headstones are erected at the head of graves to commemorate individuals who have passed away. Before its origin in 1400, "headstone" was once a synonym for 'cornerstone. A cornerstone is an upright stone that sits within one corner joint between two exterior walls; it provides information about the place, such as how tall the building is and what type of color mortar was used during construction. 

The headstone became more synonymous with grave markers than an actual cornerstone. In their later usage, they were engraved with important information about someone who passed, like their name and date of birth or death, among other things like memorial quotes that would be applied at funerals when needed most.

Tombstone

The definition of a "tombstone" has changed over time. In its original Greek form, the word meant "burial mound" and pebbles from an ancient riverbed. Still, English speakers later adapted it to describe only flat stones that sit at headstones or coffins during funerals with personalized engravings. This term evolved further, so now both refer roughly translated simply to mean' headstone.'

Gravestone

Gravestones are often used to describe a large stone slab that covers the entire grave. However, today's gravestones more closely resemble headstones, usually vertical markers with engravings on them like genealogy or accomplishments of some kind for someone once buried there.

The gravestone's modern form has been around since the 17th century when stonecutters began to use Stone as a medium for grave markers. Gravestones are now commonly used to commemorate a person's death; many come in various shapes and sizes.

At Forever In Stone, We're The Best Stone Engraving Company!

We are specialized stone engravers at Forever in Stone in Turlock, CA. We offer stone engraving services to make an everlasting stone memorial that captures your loved one's life with a personalized design. From bronze markers and stone engraving to custom monuments, we know how important it is for your stone memorials to be perfect.

So you can trust we're the stone engraving company you can call to help you create a stone memorial that tells your story and reflects the beautiful life of someone who was once with us!

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