New Stone Process Explained

Written by: Annissa
Published: 15th September 2025

Choosing a new headstone to mark someone’s grave or cremation plot is an important decision and there are many choices to be made. J.Gumbrill offers an expert service to help guide you through every step of the way. Here we explain how the process of choosing a headstone works, and all the steps that we undertake to make your decisions come to life.

Stage 1: The Consultation

Our expert team has a comprehensive list of questions to ask. Some of these will have implications for your choices- for example, we need to know where the memorial is to be sited because churchyards, cemeteries and burial grounds each have a set of regulations which will have to be adhered to. We will never knowingly suggest a memorial which we believe will not meet these specifications. However, choices that you make can also have an impact on other decisions: for example, if you choose a headstone made of granite, then the inscription will not be able to be hand-carved.

You may have made some decisions already- for example, what you would like the inscription to say- but we will ensure we gather every piece of information we need, whether you have thought of it or not. This could include aesthetic choices (such as if the lettering is to be painted) and practicalities (such as whether you would like room left on the memorial for future inscription(s) in due course).

Every memorial is bespoke and so we take note of all your requirements before preparing a quotation taking into account exactly what you require. We source your memorial from reputable suppliers and establish the exact cost to produce it, calculate the cost for our letter cutters to inscribe your chosen wording and factor in our installing it to the highest possible standards.

Our quotation is sent without obligation and valid for 60 days. Upon acceptance, we require a deposit, and upon receipt of this and your signed confirmation, we proceed.

Stage 2: Approval

An important aspect of the creation of a memorial is ensuring that, in due course, there will be no objections to it when it is installed, and it meets the rules of the place where it will be sited. Although we will do everything we can to ensure the proposed memorial meets regulations, and so the application should be a formality, we seek (and receive) permission before we proceed. For memorials in churchyards, this will be from the incumbent minister (or designated other person if the church is Interregnum), and for cemeteries and burial grounds, it will be from the burial authority. We will also make sure we have allowed for any compulsory elements in the rules, for example there might be a requirement to inscribe a plot number to the rear. This all helps to facilitate a smooth application process.

Stage 3: Ordering

Once we receive approval, we order the memorial from the appropriate supplier. It is often a lengthy process (we allow 26 weeks from this stage to installation of the memorial, as a minimum). Many of the raw headstone materials are quarried overseas and then have to be shipped to the UK, where they arrive in large blocks and are then cut down to shape and size by suppliers. Our suppliers provide delivery dates for the memorial once these are known, but during this time it is often hard for us to give updates or likely completion times.

What will it look like?

During the above period, we instruct the letter cutter who will be inscribing the stone and ask them to produce a drawing, showing the proposed layout of the inscription on the memorial. This is an opportunity for you to approve the design, and a chance to change the inscription if you wish to. We can make small changes to the drawing for you to re-approve but larger changes may require a new drawing, and changes to the number of characters will affect the cost: both of these will be reflected in your final account. Without your signed acceptance of the drawing, we will not proceed. Once this part of the process has taken place, and we have received the memorial from the supplier, we also ask for the second instalment of the costs to be paid.

Stage 4: Stone Preparation

Once the headstone has been delivered, it is inspected to check it meets the ordered requirements (shape, dimensions and so on) and then we will add it to our letter cutter’s job list so he can plan his work: inscribing the letters and any other planned elements: lines to emphasise the memorial’s shape or ornamental carvings. Our letter cutters are self-employed and so they plan their own work around the set of jobs they have at any one time, but we are able to request they prioritise a particular task if need be.

Stage 5: Stone Installation

Our memorial masons have extensive training and use fixing methods recommended by our trade body, the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM). NAMM outlines the best fixing materials for different types of memorials, both to ensure parts stay together and to site the memorial on the plot. This means it will stay stable and retain structural integrity for as long as possible.

Afterwards

Once the installation has taken place, we will send a photo of the completed stone and our account for the remaining costs. We also provide a recommendation for a specialist insurer who will be happy to quote for a policy to protect you should the memorial suffer damage in due course.

Over the course of the stone’s life, we can also provide other aftercare services such as cleaning and renovation should it suffer from weathering or if you simply decide you would like it sprucing up.

If there are any questions about memorials and the process of producing one, please do contact us for more information.