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Lettering Styles

As with stone choice, there is no right or wrong; the style of lettering you chose is really a personal preference. Except when employing script forms, the lettering of memorials is usually done in capitals. The style of lettering you choose can also affect the design of your memorial. The choice of lettering style can make a design feel modern, or evoke the classic headstones of our colonial forbearers.

Roman

Roman and Romanesque

These letterforms date back to the early stone carving of the Greeks. They are traditional, elegant, and classical. They appear on the oldest cemeteries of our nation.


Slender Roman

Slender Roman

Slender Roman is a good choice when you want the look of a Roman style but would like to include a lot of text. Because these letterforms are condensed they take up less room, hence creating additional space for words. They are also a good choice for names that are double, hyphenated, or particularly long.


Script

Scripts

These are graceful letterforms. They tend to look more light and airy than the Romans. Scripts can be a bit harder to read when small, so they are best utilized for names and dates rather than for additional text.


Modern & Sans Serif

Moderns and Sans Serifs

Modern typefaces were developed in the first half of the 20th century. It is no surprise therefor that these typefaces have a more modern and contemporary look. They are also san serif typefaces, which means they are without the small divots that mark the corners of roman letters.These faces have a clean look but the thickness of the letterforms of the various styles can dramatically change their effect. The lighter, more rounded styles have a breezy, lively feel. The bolder versions have a stronger, more masculine presence.


Uncials & Old English

Uncials and Old English

These typefaces were developed during the middle ages and were originally hand drawn. Uncials were used in hand scribed bibles before the advent of the printing press. A variation of Old English was used in the Guttenberg Bible, the first printed book.These letterforms are reminiscent of the oldest European and English cathedrals and churchyards. Like Roman letterforms, they are classic, though perhaps a bit more solemn in style.


Other Languages

Other Languages

Many families want to include inscriptions in the language of their religious tradition or country of ancestral origin. We can carve inscriptions in Greek, Russian or Hebrew. From supplied text, we can also inscribe Japanese or Chinese characters.