Bedford Village
Lasting memories, carved in stone.
A family monument company serving Westchester, the Hudson Valley, Connecticut and New Jersey for more than thirty years. We will guide you through it, step by step.
You do not have to come to us, and you do not have to know anything yet.
Around ninety five percent of the families we work with never come into an office. We do it by email, by phone, or by video call, at whatever pace suits you. Tell us the cemetery and we will take it from there.
A family owned business, serving the community through four different generations. You will be dealing with the family, not a salesperson.
Our craftsmen have inscribed headstones, gravestones, monuments, memorials and signs for Greater New York and Connecticut families for over thirty years.
Cemetery paperwork is the part nobody warns you about. We file the permits for you. If your cemetery needs the original deed, we will tell you early.
A full service monument company.
New monuments are only part of it. Much of our work is done on stones that are already standing in the cemetery.
Every one of these was designed with a family.
Photographed where they stand, in cemeteries across Westchester, the Hudson Valley, Connecticut and New Jersey.
The stone does not have to be moved.
People often assume that adding a date or a name to a family stone means taking it out of the ground. It does not. We inscribe monuments on location, at the cemetery, or wherever the stone happens to be.
If the existing lettering is a standard font, we almost certainly have it in our digital system. If it is not, our carvers hand draw each letter to match what is already on the stone, so the new inscription does not look newer than the old one.
We letter in any style and for any faith, including Hebrew, Asian and Sanskrit lettering. An inscription generally takes eight to twelve weeks, and there are many varying factors.
Whatever mattered to them can go on the stone.
Our etching possibilities are endless and can be customized to any specific design. If you do not see what you have in mind, tell us what it is.
We also carved the Headless Horseman Monument at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, in Sleepy Hollow, New York.
A stone from the most distant past can come back.
The cleaning, repair and restoration of bronze and granite can bring a stone of even the most distant past back to its original glory. If a family stone has gone dark, or has fallen, send us a photograph of it.
Before
AfterA cemetery entrance sign, cleaned and the lettering recut.
Before
BeforeStones that have fallen, or gone dark with lichen. Both can be dealt with.
We repair existing monuments too. Charges depend on the monument and the amount of damage that has been done. Email us a photograph of the stone and the damage and we will tell you honestly whether it can be saved.
Larger work, and work for whole communities.
Three kinds of mausoleum
Walk in mausoleum. A building with stained glass windows and a bronze door.
Crypt. A building with no windows or doors.
Columbarium. A small crypt used for cremations.
If you are considering one of these, it is worth a conversation early. The cemetery will have rules about size and siting, and those rules shape what is possible.
We also make donation and memorial bricks, for memorial walls and walkways. We have worked with schools, hospitals, golf courses, churches, private universities and museums.
A licensed contractor with West Point Military Academy.
If you need a monument or any form of inscription work at the academy's cemetery, we are licensed to carry it out, and we will lend a hand through the process.
We provide complimentary veteran monuments, in granite, marble and bronze. If you are arranging a memorial for someone who served, ask us about it before anything else is decided.
A family business, four generations in.
CJ Stones is family owned, and has served this community through four different generations. Colin answers the email himself, and the same people who design your monument are the ones who deliver it and set it.
Our goal is to help families create beautiful designs with quality materials and expert craftsmanship, at affordable prices. We take care of each client as if they were family.
We support families of all walks of faith, including the Catholic faith, the Jewish faith, the Muslim faith, the Hindu faith, nonsectarian and more.
Kept, because they were handwritten.
Colin, thank you so much for your thoughtful and patient attention to my mother's monument. It was a pleasure doing business with you.Jackie Zoloski
Colin, the gravestone looks great. Thank you for such a nice job. You gave peace to everyone through your good work.Lauren
How the work is done.
Tell us where you are up to
Call or email. It helps if you have the cemetery information, meaning the location, plot and section numbers, but if you do not have it yet we will help you find it.
We design it with you
The granite colour, the design and images you want on the monument, and the lettering, whether that is an endearment, a phrase or a bible verse. Almost all of this is done by email, phone or video call.
You sign the proof
Our draftsman creates a proof, a rendering showing exactly what the stone or inscription will look like. We do not inscribe the monument unless you give us your approval by signature on that proof.
We handle the permits and the setting
We file the permits for you. Then the monument is made, delivered and set. We work through the winter, as long as there is not too much snow on the ground and the temperatures are not too severe.
The things nobody tells you.
Does my monument need to be removed in order to inscribe it?
No, it does not. We inscribe monuments on location at the cemetery, or wherever the stone may be.
How long will it take?
An inscription takes eight to twelve weeks to complete, and there are many varying factors.
For a new monument it depends on the type you choose and the colour of the granite. Weather is a huge factor in timing during winter and could cause delays. Permits can also cause delays. We would rather tell you that plainly than give you a date we cannot keep.
Will I see what it looks like before it is inscribed?
Yes. Our draftsman creates a proof, a rendering of the stone or inscription, showing what it will look like. We do not inscribe the monument unless you give us your approval by signature on the proof.
Do I have to come into the office?
No. Approximately ninety five percent of the clients we deal with are handled solely online, through email, phone or videoconference. We are available seven days a week, seven in the morning until six in the evening, by appointment.
Who files the permit? Do I need the original deed?
We file the permits for you.
Whether you need the original deed depends on the cemetery. Some do require it. Tell us which cemetery it is and we will find out.
Can you match the existing lettering on my family stone?
Yes. In most cases we have the font in our digital system. If it is not a standard font and not in our system, we can hand draw each letter to match what is already on the monument.
What forms of payment do you take, and when do I pay?
Check, credit card, Zelle, money order or cash.
When you pay depends on the service:
- Inscriptions, repairs and cleanings, paid in full at contract signing.
- Flush and Hickey markers, half at contract signing and the balance when the monument is complete.
- Full size monuments, one third at contract signing, one third with the signed proof, and the final balance when your monument is complete.
We are always willing to work with families on payment plans.
Do you repair damaged monuments?
Yes. Charges depend on the monument and the amount of damage that has been done. Email us a photograph of the stone and the damage, and we will tell you whether we can repair it.
What does a monument cost?
It depends on the type, the granite, the size the cemetery permits and how much carving, lettering and etching it carries. Call us about the one you like and we will provide a free quote.
What should I be thinking about before I call?
Four things, and you do not need all of them:
- Cemetery information, meaning the location, plot and section numbers.
- The colour of the granite.
- Any design or images you want on the monument.
- The lettering, whether that is an endearment, a phrase or a bible verse.
If any of it is unclear, call anyway. Working it out is part of what we do.
We very likely already know yours.
We service all cemeteries in Westchester County and the Greater New York area, as well as the Hudson Valley and parts of Connecticut and New Jersey. A few of the ones we have worked in:
That is a small part of the list. If your cemetery is not named here, call and ask. Our experience with local cemetery rules is most of the reason this goes smoothly.
Ask for Colin.
Tell us where you are up to, even if that is nowhere. We are here to help you, and there is no charge for the conversation.
Available seven in the morning until six in the evening, seven days a week, by appointment. For anything else, email or call and we will come back to you.
CJ Stones
P.O. Box 589, Bedford Village, NY 10506
(914) 234-6987
cj@cjstones.com
Fax (914) 234-0315