A dark polished granite ledger with white flowers resting on it

Granite memorials, made in Elberton

Reliance Granite is a monument company in Elberton, Georgia. The town's granite has marked graves in every state.

(706) 283-9392 Fax (706) 213-1434

Polished granite holds a reflection like still water. Library photograph.

The stone comes out of the ground here

Elberton sits on a deep body of blue-gray granite. Quarries around the town cut it in steps, lift it out in blocks and truck it to the saw sheds.

That is why so many monument makers work in one small Georgia town. The stone does not have to travel far before it is cut.

The photographs on this site are library images of the granite trade. They are not Reliance's quarry, shop or finished work.

A granite quarry cut in wide stepped benches under a clear sky — Quarry benches step down as each layer of stone is taken out.

A tall quarry face streaked with rust-colored iron staining — Iron in the rock leaves rust stains where a face has stood open to the weather.

A heap of rough-split granite blocks — Rough-split stone, before any saw has touched it.

An excavator working on a broken rock bench in a quarry — Heavy equipment clears broken rock so the next block can be freed.

From rough block to finished memorial

A loader carrying stone on a steep quarry road — A block can weigh several tons. Machines do all of the lifting.

Moving the block

An upright monument starts as a block far bigger than the finished stone. Loaders and cranes move it from the quarry to the shop floor.

A stoneworker in ear defenders and a dust mask cutting a pale stone block with a grinder — Cutting stone throws fine dust, which is why masks and water are standard in stone shops.

Sawing and shaping

Blocks are sawn into slabs, then cut down to the die and base a design calls for. Rock-pitched edges are split by hand for that rough natural border.

Close view of a flat gray granite surface with fine black and white crystals — Gray granite, close up. Polishing brings the black crystals forward.

Polishing

Faces are ground with finer and finer abrasives until the crystals show depth. Sides can be left polished, sawn, or rough.

Hands holding a mallet and a fine chisel over a pale stone — Hand tools still finish fine detail.

The words In Memoriam cut into a gray granite face — Blasted letters sit below the polish and read in any light.

Lettering

Most lettering is sandblasted through a rubber stencil cut from the approved layout.

Read every name and date on the proof twice. Once a face is blasted, a mistake means new stone.

Aerial view of an old quarry pit filled with turquoise water among autumn trees — An old quarry pit, flooded where the cutting stopped.

Not all granite is gray

Elberton is known for blue-gray stone, but memorials are cut from many granites. Colour, grain and how well a stone polishes all vary.

These are library photographs. Ask the office which colours Reliance carries or can order.

Light gray granite with small evenly scattered black crystals — Light gray, even grain.

Warm gray granite with a faint brown cast — Warm gray with a brown cast.

Banded stone in rose, white and charcoal — Rose and charcoal, banded.

Dark wavy banded stone with red veins — Dark, with red veins.

Coarse granite in gold, cream and rust tones — Gold and rust, coarse grain.

A cemetery in morning fog with an obelisk among dark upright headstones — Most families start thinking about a monument a few months after the funeral.

Before you call about a memorial

A little homework makes the first call shorter, and keeps a stone from being cut twice.

Check the cemetery's rules

Many cemeteries limit height, width, material, or whether uprights are allowed in a section. The cemetery office can tell you.

Know the lot

Have the cemetery name, section and lot number. If a stone already stands on the lot, a photo of it helps match colour and style.

Write out the lettering

Full names exactly as they should be spelled, dates, and any verse or emblem. Leave nothing to memory on the phone.

Ask about the foundation

Monuments sit on a concrete foundation. Ask who pours it, the cemetery or the monument company, and whether there is a separate fee.

Silk flowers in a vase on the base of a red granite headstone — Ask whether a vase is drilled into the base or set beside it.

Silk roses behind a small gray stone carved with the words In Loving Memory — A short line can say a lot. Long verses need a bigger face.

A weathered stone urn draped with carved cloth on a pedestal — The draped urn, a mourning emblem carved on memorials for generations.

Rows of white upright headstones on green grass with flowers in cones — Some sections ask for matching uprights in straight rows.

An older cemetery with upright stones beneath bare autumn trees — Older ground often mixes styles, sizes and stone.

Call the office in Elberton

The quickest way to start is a phone call. Have the cemetery, lot and lettering in front of you.

(706) 283-9392

Fax: (706) 213-1434
Address: [STREET ADDRESS], Elberton, GA [ZIP]
Hours: [OFFICE HOURS]
Email: info@example.com