Construction and decoration of the tombstone (part 1 of 3)

Part 1/3 – The main accessories

A tombstone is a point of reference where to express the mourning and the memory of a deceased and, in this regard, this article intends to provide some useful indications for its construction and decoration.

In particular, it provides some suggestions for choosing useful accessories for decorating a tombstone, such as flower vases, votive lamps, photos on porcelain and related photo frame, letters for the composition of the epigraph.

Which are the most used products for the realization and decoration of the tombstone

The main products used for the construction and decoration of the tombstone are:

letters and numbers, for epigraphs on tombstones and monuments;
flower vases;
photo frames to be used in combination with the photo on porcelain;
electric or candle votive lamps;
plaques, books, parchments or scrolls on which can be made an engraving or printing of personalized dedications or epigraphs;
holy crosses and crucifixes;
floral decorations, like branches of roses or flowers with ears of corn;
studs for supporting gravestones.

In addition to specific products for the decoration of tombstones, complementary products used for the furnishing of cemetery chapels or for the conservation of cremation ashes are also used:

chandeliers, candelabrum, crucifixes, bronze statues for furnishing and the ornamentation of cemetery chapels;
funerary urns, for the conservation of ashes after cremation.

What is needed for the construction and decoration of the tombstone?

Below are summarized the essential elements necessary for the construction and decoration of the gravestone, what are their main characteristics and what are the methods of assembly.

Letters for tombstones

Letters and numbers for gravestones can be used both for the composition of names and dates of birth and death and for any inscriptions, dedications or epitaphs to be made on the tombstone.

In general, the material used for making the letters for gravestones is bronze or steel but often porcelain is also used.

They are available in various sizes that range from a height of 2.5 cm to 8 cm.

The larger letters are usually used for the family name at the entrance to the noble chapels.

For gravestones, names are normally written using letters of greater height than the figures for dates of birth and death.

The most used models are the Roman (bronze, steel), the Italian (bronze) and the Italic (bronze).

Some models of letters are also available with finishes in marble color (carrara, botticino, black marquinia, guatemala green), in black and white ceramismalt (a finish that gives the letter the appearance of glazed porcelain) or in metallic color in the mercury variants , chrome, gold and glitter.

The application of the letter to the tombstone is carried out by means of two pegs placed at the back of each letter: after having made small holes in the points of application, the letters are fixed using mastic for marble.

Real Votiva Store can generate, through a special software, customized drilling guides for the application of bronze characters (applicable only for some letter models).

For more information see:

Porcelain photo and photo-frames

Photo frames for gravestones are available both in bronze (die-cast or lost wax) and in porcelain and steel.

They can be oval or rectangular and are available in various sizes (7×9 cm, 8×10 cm, 9×12 cm, 11×15 cm, 13×18 cm).

They are fixed to the headstone by two pins on the back; there are also models that can be mounted on the ground, useful for monuments or horizontal tombs.

In combination with the frame are used the porcelain photos (color or black and white).

For more information see:

Flower vases

There are available different kind of flower vases

classic flower vases;
large flower vases, a wider type of vase that can hold more flowers.

Also for the vases the materials used are bronze, porcelain and steel while the inner vessel of the vase is available in copper or plastic.

Generally, flower vases can be mounted both on a vertical surface (stone) and on a horizontal surface (shelf, horizontal tomb or monument).

Sono disponibili anche una serie di modelli incassabili.

A number of recessed models are also available.

The vases are available both in simple material, such as bronze, white or black porcelain and steel, and in various finishes, such as chrome, mercury, glitter, marble color.

Many models are hand-decorated or finished with bronze decorations, such as roses, branches, doves, or in gold.

The wall-mounted flower pots are fixed by means of two threaded pins (A, B) which, from the side of the vase, are screwed onto two special spacers placed on the back of the vase, while on the side of the tombstone they are fixed by two nuts.

Construction and decoration of the tombstone - Bronze vase for gravestone (how to mount) — Bronze vase for gravestone (how to mount)

For fixing the vase are required two holes in correspondence of the pins.

Ground mounting is by means of two threaded pins that are screwed onto the base of the vessel and are fixed to the surface by two nuts.

For more information see:

Votive lamp

The electric votive lamps for tombstones, tombs and ossuaries are made of bronze, porcelain or steel.

Votive lamps can be mounted on a vertical surface (tombstone) or on a horizontal surface (shelf, horizontal tomb or monument).

They are available both in natural color (bronze, white porcelain, black porcelain, steel) and in different colors (chrome, mercury, glitter, marble).

Many models are hand-decorated or embellished with bronze finishes and applications, such as roses, branches, doves and gold-colored decorations.

All the lamps are provided with a crystal flame and some can be fitted with rose bud, heart, lily or tulip-shaped crystals.

All available models can be combined with photo-frames, flower-vases and other accessories of the same line.

Wall mounting is by means of two threaded pins (A, B) which, from the lamp side, are screwed onto two special spacers placed on the back of the same, while on the side of the tombstone they are fixed by two nuts.

Bronze votive lamp for tombstone (how to mount)

Ground mounting is by means of two threaded pins that are screwed onto the base of the lamp and are fixed to the surface by two nuts. In both cases the assembly requires the execution of two holes in correspondence of the pins.

For more information see:

Bronze Brackets and Studs for Tombstones

The most practical and economical way to fix and support the marble slab of the tombstone is to use the bronze brackets, in particular, of the “Compact bracket” model.

This model is characterized by adjustable fins with variable thickness, depending on the formats, from 0.8 to 2 cm. The brackets are available in various sizes and color finishes (bronze, glitter bronze, glitter light bronze, black or white ceramismalt, mercury, chrome, carrara marble, botticino marble, guatemala green marble, black marquinia marble).

The brackets are mounted using a threaded steel pin which, on the one hand, is screwed into the rear part of the bracket (see figure), and on the other hand is fixed to the wall by means of an expansion plug. Once the brackets have been fixed, loosen the tabs using the appropriate nuts, rest the headstones on the upper edge of the body of each bracket and ensure that the upper edge is hooked through the tabs on the brackets located at the upper edge; in practice, the lower brackets act as a supporting element while the upper ones block the headstone through the fins.

For more information see:

How to buy headstone accessories

Buying directly from the producer, without intermediaries, all that is necessary for the construction of a gravestone, a niche, a columbarium, a monument or a cemetery family chapel naturally entails considerable savings.

Gravestone decoration accessories can be purchased directly from a specialized manufacturer, such as Real Votiva.

Real Votiva is a funerary art foundry, leader in the production and sale of funerary items and accessories in bronze, porcelain and steel used to make gravestones, monuments and cemetery chapels.

Real Votiva, founded in 1967, is located in Melissano in the province of Lecce, a municipality located in the center of the renowned Salento area, in Apulia regione in South Italy.

In 2015 Real Votiva has activated the online store Real Votiva Store (www.realvotivastore.com), through which it is possible to buy everything needed for the creation of the tombstone directly online.

The Real Votiva online store is characterized by the possibility of saving on the purchase of the funerary articles, for the quality of the products, for the customer service, for the speed of processing and delivery of orders.

The Customer Service is active from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm to answer any of your requests and to meet your needs.