Ceramic photo or laser-engraved portrait

When a family visits a stonemason, two options usually come up for the face on the monument: a ceramic plaque mounted on the stone, or a portrait engraved directly into the granite with a laser. These are different things, and it's good to know what you're choosing, because it isn't easy to change afterward.

How each one looks

A ceramic photo is a photographic image, with full tones and, if you wish, colour. The face looks the way it did in the photograph. Laser engraving is a dot-pattern drawing, carried out in the polished layer of the granite: the result is white on black, graphic, closer to a sketch than a photograph.

Neither is better in absolute terms. Ceramic looks more like the person; engraving blends more with the stone. The difference is felt most up close.

Which stone suits each

• Laser engraving requires black or very dark, polished granite. On white marble or light granite, the contrast is lacking and the portrait is almost invisible.
• A ceramic photo can be mounted on anything: marble, granite of any colour, mosaic, concrete, even wooden crosses.
• If the monument already exists and isn't in black granite, practically only one option remains.

How long it lasts

Engraving is in the stone itself, so it lasts as long as the stone, but it loses contrast as the polished surface dulls, especially on monuments exposed to rain and dust. A ceramic photo keeps its colours and contrast well, but it is brittle: a strong impact can break it.

What can be redone

Here the difference is significant. A broken or lost ceramic plaque can be remade at any time, even years later, if the photograph still exists — another one is ordered and mounted. A mistaken or worn engraving can't be corrected: it would mean redoing the stone's surface.

The cost

Laser engraving is usually paid for at the stonemason's, together with the monument, and costs more than a ceramic plaque of comparable size. A ceramic photo starts from an affordable price and includes, with us, restoration, colourisation, and retouching of the photograph.

If the monument is already made and isn't in polished black granite, a ceramic photo is the only option that will look good. If the stone is yet to be ordered, it's worth seeing both in person.

Can they be combined?

Yes, it happens. On double monuments, one of the portraits can be engraved, while the other is added later as a ceramic plaque. They don't look identical, but if the size and position are chosen well, the overall effect stays balanced.