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 Without a doubt, two of the most interesting designs are the scalloped border and the shell rock border. The photo with this article shows the West Memorial, photographed in the Greenview or Crestview Cemeteries in Cairo, Georgia. The monument has a shell-rock border.
Scalloped Border Versus The Shell-Rock Border
The scalloped border has the same outside carving, without the carving on the face of the memorial. In other words, the shell-rock border has both an outer and an inner shell-rock carving, while the scalloped design only applies to the outer surface of the stone. As you would expect, the shell-rock design is more expensive than the scalloped border.
Both the scalloped border and the shell rock border are often presented in a round shape. Frequently, the face and rear of the monument are polished, though steeled and shell-rock fronts and backs are possible too.
Shell Rock Border
The shell rock design is created through the use of rock pitching which removes pieces of stone leaving a shell-like or curved appearance. This technique requires the expertise of an experienced stone cutter who recognizes the grain of stone, and who can use that grain effectively.
The West Memorial is made from beautiful black granite. The tablet has a polished face with a beautiful etching that shows a man and woman holding hands, with three young children around them, and the parents looking across a field with a stream and trees in view.
Symbolism: Weeping Willow
To the left is a weeping willow. A weeping willow is a symbol of melancholy. “Beautiful, but full of melancholy, attractive, very empathic, loves anything beautiful and tasteful, loves to travel, dreamer, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced, but is not easy to live with, demanding, good intuition, suffers in love but sometimes finds an anchoring partner.”
Symbolism: Pine Tree
Characteristics of the pine tree include: “Loves agreeable company, very robust, knows how to make life comfortable, very active, natural, good companion, but seldom friendly, falls easily in love but passion burns out quickly, gives up easily, will experience many disappointments until the ideal is found, trustworthy, practical.”
Symbolism: Dove
The two doves are commonly recognized as a symbol for the Holy Spirit. Alternatively, doves are seen as symbols of peace. I presume that the back of the memorial was polished as well, though balance rock pitch would have looked attractive too. Obviously, this was a family with three children.
Porcelain Photograph
A porcelain photograph of the father was placed in the upper-left corner. I highly recommend the use of porcelain or etched portraits in memorialization.
Two ledgers were placed in front of this memorial with the biographical information.
The base has a polished flat top with what appears to be sawn sides. I would have preferred a polished margin for this memorial. A sub base would have been nice, too. I would have liked to have seen more memorialization with the story of the family told either on the ledger or on the reverse of the tablet.
I am always entertained by the variety of items that are commonly left around memorials. Items left around the memorial for Mr. West include a skeleton key, a bottle opener, an eagle, and a candle with a lighter.
Summary
The shell-rock border was used to create a very attractive memorial for Mr. West. It is obvious that his family loved him very much and that they miss the patriarch of the family. He was fortunate to have family who cared enough to memorialize him in a fine manner.
i Tomb With A View’s Guide To Tree Symbolism, http://members.aol.com/TombView/SymbolTree.html.
ii Tomb With A View’s Guide To Tree Symbolism, http://members.aol.com/TombView/SymbolTree.html. |
