Why Work With Us?

Grave Stones Dealer
in NJ

Hand-carved headstones by Grave Stone Guide — 80+ years in Morris County, NJ.

Headstone Specialists — Single, double & flat headstones
Companion Headstones — Side-by-side memorial pairs
Veteran Headstones — VA-compatible military headstones
Custom Granite Carving — Hand-carved in Morris County
Photo-Etched Portraits — High-contrast relief portraits
Headstone Restoration — Restore aged & weathered stone
Cemetery Compliance — Every headstone meets cemetery rules
Foundation Installation — Below frost-line, level-set
American-Made Granite — Domestic & select imported stone
Over 80 Years in NJ — Family-owned since 1945
All 14 NJ Counties — Statewide installation
Multilingual Service — English · Russian · Polish
Call (201) 297-4344Get a Free Consultation
Serving all of New Jersey · English, Russian, Polish
Granite Headstones hand-carved by Grave Stone Guide in NJ — image 1

Headstones

Over 80 Years in NJ

Ready When You Are

Talk to a Grave Stone Guide craftsman today.

Call, email, schedule a free quote, or visit the showroom in person. Real people answer the phone Monday through Saturday.

Call (201) 297-4344Email UsSchedule a Free QuoteVisit Our Showroom
Service Area

Serving All 14 NJ Counties

Grave Stone Guide has been placing grave stones in New Jersey cemeteries for over 80 years from our workshop at 199 Main St in Madison, Morris County. We serve families in all 14 counties — Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean — with the same standard of craftsmanship and the same direct cemetery coordination. From the oldest churchyard grave stones in Hunterdon County to the newest lawn-section memorial parks in Ocean County, our team is familiar with the cemeteries and their requirements. We serve families in English, Russian, and Polish.

  • Morris
  • Bergen
  • Essex
  • Passaic
  • Hudson
  • Union
  • Sussex
  • Warren
  • Hunterdon
  • Somerset
  • Middlesex
  • Mercer
  • Monmouth
  • Ocean
Cemetery Guide

Cemetery Compliance Guide

Cemetery Regulations

New Jersey's more than 1,200 cemeteries each govern grave stone placement under their own rules — regulations covering permitted heights, base dimensions, acceptable materials, and installation methods. These rules reflect the physical characteristics of each cemetery's grounds and, in many cases, the traditions of the faith community or municipal authority that governs the institution. Grave Stone Guide reviews the current regulations at your cemetery before designing any grave stone, ensuring every dimension and specification is correct from the first drawing. This step prevents the most common and most avoidable problem in monument ordering: a stone that arrives and requires modification before it can be installed.

Foundation Requirements

Grave stones placed upright in New Jersey cemeteries require concrete foundations poured below the frost line — typically 12 to 24 inches depending on monument height and the cemetery's specification. Northern New Jersey counties, with more severe winter frost cycles, tend toward the deeper end of that range. Grave Stone Guide's installation crews pour and cure foundations to the receiving cemetery's specification, then set the finished stone using mechanical lifting and leveling equipment. A grave stone set incorrectly — without adequate foundation depth, or without mechanical leveling — will shift or tilt within years. We take the foundation step as seriously as the carving step.

Religious Cemetery Considerations

New Jersey's faith-affiliated cemeteries — Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Orthodox Christian, and others — carry denomination-specific monument considerations that extend beyond standard dimension rules. Some require flat-bottom bases for lawn maintenance; some restrict polished surfaces or portrait imagery; some require prior approval for monuments above a specified height. Grave Stone Guide has navigated these institutional conventions for generations. Our team handles the relevant inquiries with each cemetery on your behalf, and we approach every denomination's traditions with respect and care.

Our Collection

Our Headstones Collection

Grave Stones

The category of grave stones encompasses every marker placed at a burial to identify the person interred — from the simplest flat granite tile to the most elaborately carved upright monument. At Grave Stone Guide, we produce grave stones in three principal formats: upright, slant, and flat. The upright grave stone is the traditional vertical configuration — a die mounted on a matching base, ranging from 24 to 48 inches in height in most New Jersey cemeteries. It provides the most surface area for names, dates, epitaphs, and carved imagery, and its vertical orientation makes it visible from a distance across the cemetery. The slant grave stone presents a forward-leaning profile on a flat base — a lower, more compact silhouette popular in many mid-century cemetery sections across Morris, Bergen, and Essex counties. The flat grave stone lies level with the ground — required in lawn-section memorial parks and chosen by families who prefer an understated form. All three formats are produced from American-made granite in a range of colors — India Black, Mountain Gray, Dakota Mahogany — with polished, honed, and rock-pitched finishes available. Bronze grave stones — cast bronze plaques mounted on granite bases — are also produced for families who prefer the warmth and distinctiveness of metal. All grave stones are designed to the cemetery-compliant specifications confirmed for each receiving institution.

Granite Options

American-made granite is the primary material for grave stones at Grave Stone Guide, sourced from domestic quarries with consistent quality standards for hardness, porosity, and surface yield. India Black granite provides a dark, consistent surface that maximizes the contrast of carved lettering and portrait work. Mountain Gray offers a classic, versatile appearance suited to any cemetery context and any faith tradition. Dakota Mahogany carries a warm, reddish-brown character that adds organic energy to traditional and nature-based designs. All three are available in polished and honed finishes, with rock-pitched edges available on upright and slant formats. Sample slabs are on display at our Morris County showroom.

Custom Design Process

Every grave stone at Grave Stone Guide begins with a design consultation — in English, Russian, or Polish, at our Morris County showroom or by phone. We listen to what the person's life contained and what the family wants the stone to say. Our design team translates those conversations into a scaled drawing showing all elements — inscription, borders, symbols, portraits if requested — in their correct proportions. You review and approve this drawing before any stone is touched. No production step begins without your confirmed approval.

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Headstones process
Our Process

Our Hand-Carving Process

Every grave stone produced in Grave Stone Guide's Morris County workshop follows a disciplined six-step sequence. First: the consultation, where we gather every detail about the person being remembered, the family's design preferences, and the receiving cemetery's regulations. Second: the scaled design drawing, reviewed and approved by the family — every letter, symbol, and border shown in its correct position before any production expense is incurred. Third: material preparation — the selected American-made granite slab is pulled from inventory, inspected for surface quality, and secured in our carving cradle. Fourth: hand-carving — our artisans execute the full design using pneumatic tools for broad shaping and hand chisels for letter edges, portrait work, and fine decorative elements. Fifth: finishing — letter fills are applied, polished surfaces are buffed, and the stone is inspected against the approved drawing to confirm every element is correct. Sixth: installation — the grave stone is transported to the cemetery, a concrete foundation is prepared and cured by our crew, the stone is set level and plumb using mechanical equipment, and the installation is photographed. The installation photograph is sent to your family as confirmation that the work is complete.

Headstones memorial installed in NJ
Voices

What Families Say

New Jersey families have entrusted us with their memorials for three generations.

“Grave Stone Guide made my mother's grave stone and my grandmother's grave stone. Both are beautiful — specific to who those women were, lettered clearly, and standing straight in the cemetery just as they were placed. When the time comes to place another stone for our family, we will not go anywhere else.” — Kathleen, Morris County NJ
Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

If you do not see your question here, call us.

How long does it take to design and install a headstones?

Most grave stones take eight to twelve weeks from the first consultation to the installed monument. This timeline covers design approval, granite fabrication and carving in our Morris County workshop, foundation preparation at the cemetery, and installation. We provide a schedule at the start of every order.

Do you serve cemeteries throughout New Jersey?

Yes. Grave Stone Guide places grave stones in cemeteries throughout all 14 New Jersey counties. Our installation crews travel regularly to Morris, Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson, Union, Sussex, Warren, Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Mercer, Monmouth, and Ocean counties. We coordinate with every receiving institution directly.

Are your memorials cemetery-compliant?

Yes. Every grave stone we produce is designed to meet the specific, current regulations of the receiving cemetery. We review those regulations before production begins — including height limits, base requirements, foundation depth, and any imagery restrictions.

Can I bring my own design or photo?

Yes. Families bring photographs of their loved ones, religious imagery, military insignia, personal symbols, and hand-drawn sketches. Our design team incorporates those references into a scaled drawing for your approval before carving begins.

Do you offer veteran companion markers?

Yes. We design and install companion grave stones for married couples and for other family pairings. Veteran grave stones incorporating military branch emblems, service dates, and rank are among our most frequently produced designs. We are knowledgeable about VA burial programs and can advise on coordinating private monuments with government-furnished markers.

What languages do you serve families in?

Yes — English, Russian, and Polish.

Showroom & Gallery

See Grave Stones in Person

Browse a few of the stones we have set, then come visit us in person. Sample stones, finishes, and lettering are all on display.

Grave Stone Guide Madison, NJ 07940
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Headstones · Serving all of New Jersey

Schedule a Free Consultation Today

We serve families across Morris, Bergen, Essex, Passaic, Hudson counties and all of New Jersey. Fill out the form, drop by the showroom, or call us. Real people answer the phone Monday through Saturday.

Request Your Free Consultation

A specialist contacts you within one business day. House calls available across Morris County and the surrounding region.

Or call (201) 297-4344