Slant Headstone Memorials
When it comes time to memorialize a recently passed loved one, you can tell their story proudly with an engraved granite Slant Headstone. A slanted headstone is one of the more recognizable headstones seen in cemeteries. Headstones with a slanted front face typically come in 3 common styles; Single Slant Memorials, Double (Companion) Slant Memorials, and Smaller Slant Markers also known as pillow markers. They are very well suited for a single grave plot but can be adapted in some instances to accommodate multiple plots.
In this article, we are going to talk about each design, an estimated price range for each, and hopefully, help you to decide if a slanted headstone is a perfect way to commemorate your loved one.
Table of Contents
Slant Headstone Design
Slant Headstones are gravestones that sit at the “top” portion of the grave or memorial plot, otherwise known as the head of the plot. A typical slant headstone is 16 to 18 inches tall, 10 inches thick, and 24 to 36 inches wide. They can be very attractively set on a similar granite-colored base, or stand just fine as a solo memorial stone. Traditional Slant Headstones typically come with a polished front and back face with the sides being rock pitched. Rock pitched is the more natural or unpolished look.
Single Slant Headstones
Traditionally, a Slant memorial will be set atop a 6″ thick base and then placed at the very top of the grave plot. A more common style of headstones, slants typically stand between 16″ and 18″ tall. When the monument is completely set, you can expect it to stand approximately 2.5′ – 3′ feet tall. The top of the slant memorial will likely be a serpentine top as seen in the traditional headstones pictured below.
The slants featured here were designed around the individual’s own unique story. A child’s love for the great sport of baseball and an older, wiser, love for the outdoors. The engraving options are nearly endless. Bring us their story and we will help you tell it in stone.
Double Slant Gravestones Memorials
A Double Slant Headstone is one that will tell the story of that couple forever. Oftentimes, these memorials are purchased when just one of the magnificent pair has departed. We have dealt with this scenario many times and we are well prepared to help you through your loss. Speaking with one of the memorial designers will help you in the next phase of their passing.
Slant Markers or Pillow Markers
A Slant Marker, also known as a pillow marker is one that is typically only about 6″ tall with a very slight slant forward to 4″ thick in the front. Pillow Markers typically can be set alone or on a 6″ Granite Base if you wanted to incorporate built-in vase holes for flowers. Since this design is both polished on the top and rock-pitched around the edges, this is a good design for those looking to make more of a statement than the most common flat grass marker.
Being a smaller stone, a pillow marker can be adapted to be even smaller as for an infant memorial, typically, 16″ wide at their smallest. By setting a meeting with one of our designers we can walk you through the memorial building process and get you the perfect stone for any memorial.
Choosing Your Material
When it comes to sitting down to design a memorial, the material is always a good place to start. Throughout North America, the most chosen material to build these types of memorials is granite. Granite is a natural stone mined from select portions of the world.
Granite is a very long-lasting and tough material. Using the proper engraving techniques that we practice, you can expect your chosen memorial to last for an industry average of 7 lifetimes or generations.
Other but far less common materials used for Slant Memorials are sandstone, limestone, and other naturally carved stones. Being less common, you will likely pay a pretty penny to build your chosen memorial in anything other than granite.
Granite Colors Best For Slant Headstones
The color of the stone is what we call the headstone’s “Body Language”. By this we mean it is the first thing that anyone will notice about the stone, and says more about the loved one than most other aspects. The color of the granite typically corresponds to the price point, much like what we spoke about in the materials section. Most of the “colorful” granite used for upright headstones comes from outside of the United States. (I.e Black from India, Blue Pearl from Norway)
The most common colors of granite are white and gray, both are typically mined in the hills of the Sierra Nevada mountains as well as parts of Minnesota and the North East United States. No matter the granite color you choose, we will do our best to help the engravings stand out. To take a deeper dive into our granite colors please click the button below
Granite Color Options
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Flat top, Serpentine top, and Rock Pitching
Flat top
Flat top Upright Monuments are most commonly used in conjunction with this top style, as well as, with other memorial designs like pagodas and mausoleums. If you are looking to make an attractive modern statement with your loved ones slant memorial, then a flat top maybe your edge. Typically smooth and polished, this design style adds the touch of class your clean-cut loved one always had.
Serpentine top
The Serpentine Top is “THE” headstone topper for 85% of all slant memorials. Typically incorporated with a rock pitch finish, the serpentine is a centered and tapered design element. Almost all serpentine tops start from the top middle of the headstone and taper down 1.5-2 inches at the outer edge of the headstone.
Rock Pitching
This is the name for the “natural finish” incorporated in many a slant headstone design. Natural and longest living, a rock-pitched side and top of a memorial is one that has been set and literally broken away with hammer and chisel. To craft this design element, the monument builder must set a precise line and physically break the stone by tapping each point one after another until the stone naturally cracks. No two rock pitches are the same, thus adding a level of uniqueness to each stone.
Prices for Single, Companion, and Pillow Slant Headstones.
Prices for Single (24") Slant Headstones
As far as Single Slant Headstones go, you can expect to pay somewhere between $1500 – $4000+ depending on size, shape, color, and amount or personalization. As mentioned before, color plays a huge factor in how expensive a Slant Headstone might be. Gray and White will likely be the most cost-effective while Blue Pearl and Emerald Pearl, with their iridescent flakes, can potentially increase the price of the same slant design 4 fold.
Prices for Companion Slant Headstones
In creating a companion slant design, you will likely save some money when compared to purchasing 2 individual slant monuments. In the design process, the color of the granite will likely play the biggest role in where the final price will come out. If you select this style, you can expect to pay somewhere between $2000 – $5000 depending on numerous factors. As mentioned before they start at 36″ wide so be prepared to pay a little more than a single slant just for the amount of granite.
Prices for Slant Markers (Pillow Markers)
For those looking for a cost-effective slant memorial, a Pillow Marker might be the one. Simply by using less granite, a Pillow marker will likely cost somewhere between $700 – $2400. The design will be limited to the available polished space though, so if you are looking to tell a grander story then a pillow may be only one portion of the whole custom estate memorial.
A quality Slant Headstone requires a quality Monument Builder
At Bras & Mattos monuments, we pride ourselves on delivering Slant Headstones at affordable prices. No matter the monument or memorial, you can be sure that with your help on the design, your loved one will be remembered with the perfect headstone for their memorial plot. Thus allowing future generations to remember the legacy and story through their quality memorial.
For more on our products and our full memorial design process visit our Youtube Channel.