Frequently Asked Questions

We will coordinate all aspects of your memorial delivery and installation.

Memorial orders can take anywhere from 8 weeks to 6 months to complete depending on if the granite is in stock at our plant, needs to be ordered domestically or will be coming from overseas.  Rush service is available for an additional fee.  If a specific delivery date is important to you, be sure to notify your memorial specialist so they can guide you appropriately.

Yes!  The photos shown on our website are just examples.  You can intermix the colors, designs and text to create what you like best.

No, they do not.  Many cemeteries have regulations regarding the size, style and sometimes even the color memorial you can have.  Often these regulations vary by section and even by row within a certain cemetery.  If you're not sure what will be allowed on your grave(s), call our office for assistance.

Our warranty is the most comprehensive you will find.  Among other things, we guarantee the granite and workmanship for 50 years!

Absolutely!  Just bring us a clear image of what you would like engraved.  Some artwork may need to be modified to be depicted in a beautiful yet durable way due to being carved in stone.

All memorials and cemetery lettering work require payment in full at the time the order is placed.  Interest-free payment plans are available with production of the memorial to begin once the order has been paid in full. A memorial cannot be delivered if there is a balance due.

By far the superior option is a hand engraving.  When a portrait or scene is etched by hand, the polish on the stone is removed one tiny piece at a time and at a depth to provide a sharp yet natural image.  The final picture is vivid and will require no future maintenance since the natural contrast in the stone provides all the clarity.  A laser etching is done by machine and doesn't cut the granite deeply enough to produce a sharp, highly visible image on its own.  Therefore, paint is added to make the image pop.  Unfortunately, as with all paint, it wears away in time and the picture becomes difficult to see.  Hand engravings are the only technique used by Iowa Memorial Granite.

Most cemeteries have a very limited selection of memorials to choose from and they subcontract all the design and production work to a third party.  They never even see the memorial they sold you!  At Iowa Memorial Granite Company, memorials are our only business.  We have a large selection of granite colors for you to see and hundreds of designs in our catalog to choose from.  The memorials are engraved at our own production facility and are inspected prior to delivery to ensure you will receive exactly what you ordered.  A headstone is something you are only going to purchase once.  Make sure you purchase wisely.