Gravestone engraving in Moscow
The most common engraving request we receive from abroad is the simplest one: a parent has died, the family monument already stands in Moscow, and a name and two dates need to be added to it. Nobody in the family is in Russia to arrange it.
That job does not require removing the monument or disturbing the grave. An engraver works on the stone where it stands, and you approve the exact layout — wording, font, position, size — before a single line is cut. Granite engraving cannot be undone, so everything is settled at the drawing stage.
Adding a name and dates to an existing monument
We photograph the monument as it is now, measure the free surface, and send you a layout showing exactly where the new lines will sit and how they will look next to the existing inscription. Matching the original font matters more than people expect: a second name cut in a different typeface is the thing that makes a family monument look patched rather than complete.
Work on an installed monument costs more per character than work in the workshop, and the reason is physical rather than commercial: the engraver is working outdoors, on a vertical surface, at a cemetery, and the weather decides the schedule. There is a minimum order for this reason — it costs the same to send a master out for one date as for a full line.
If the monument has not been installed yet, engrave everything before it goes up. The same characters cost half as much in the workshop, and the composition can still be changed.
- A full set of «name and two dates» is about 33 characters
- In the workshop that is roughly ₽9,900; on an installed stone, roughly ₽19,800
- Cyrillic, Latin and mixed inscriptions are all normal work for us
Restoring lettering that has worn away
On monuments from the 1960s–80s the lettering was usually cut shallow and filled with paint or gilding. Thirty years of weather takes the filling out, and from three metres the inscription simply disappears — which is what a photograph sent from Moscow shows the family.
If any of the cut survives, the fix is to clean it out and refill it, which is inexpensive relative to the difference it makes. If the letters have worn down flush with the stone, there is no cut left to fill and the inscription has to be deepened with an engraver on site — a more serious job, from ₽15,000 for a name and date.
On marble where the letters have gone completely, replacing the plate is sometimes more sensible than restoring it, and we say so rather than selling the more expensive repair.
Engraved portraits from a photograph
A portrait starts with your photograph, not with the stone. Send whatever you have — a digital file, or an old paper print simply photographed on a phone in daylight, without flash or glare. A retoucher prepares it for transfer to stone: removing scratches and stains, lifting contrast, and separating the face from the background where that is needed.
You then receive a layout showing how the portrait will look on the plate, at what size and in what position. Nothing touches the stone until you approve it.
Portraits read best on dark polished granite; on light stone the contrast is lower and we take that into account at the layout stage. Where a photograph is too dark, blurred or heavily compressed for laser work, a hand-engraved portrait is the answer — a master works with a cutter and can carry tonality that a weak photograph would otherwise lose.
How it works when you are not in Russia
Send us the full name of the person buried, the cemetery, and the plot number if you have it. If you do not have the plot number, say so — locating the grave is ordinary work for us and starts at ₽1,500.
We photograph the monument, send the layout, wait for your written approval, do the work, and send a photo report: a close-up of the new lettering and a general view of the monument. Payment is due after you have the report, and we agree the method when the order is confirmed, including payment through relatives in Russia.
Prices
| Engraving in the workshop, before installation | ₽300 per character | no site visit needed, which is why it is half the price |
| Engraving on an already installed monument | from ₽600 per character | work at the cemetery; minimum order ₽8,500 |
| Repainting existing lettering | from ₽3,000 | possible while any of the original cut survives |
| Deepening worn lettering with an engraver | from ₽15,000 | name and date, when the letters have worn flush with the stone |
| Engraved portrait | quoted from the photograph | layout approved by you before any cutting |
Prices are in roubles because that is what the work is paid for in; at roughly ₽90 to the dollar you can read them across directly. The quote is fixed before work begins, and payment is due after you receive the photo report. Full list — services & prices.
Questions we are asked
Does the monument have to be removed?
No. Engraving on an installed monument is done on site, at the cemetery, with the stone where it stands.
Can you match the font of the existing inscription?
Yes, and we consider it part of the job rather than an extra. The layout we send you shows the new lines next to the existing ones so you can see the match before approving.
Can the inscription be in two languages?
Yes — Cyrillic and Latin on the same stone is common for families abroad, and we lay it out so that both read properly rather than one being squeezed in.
What if we change our mind after the work?
Engraving on granite cannot be reversed. That is exactly why nothing is cut until you have approved the layout in writing, and why we would rather spend an extra day on the drawing than a week on regret.
Order from anywhere in the world
We work at every cemetery in Moscow and the Moscow region, and across Russia on request. Write to us with the cemetery and the full name of the person buried — if the plot number has been lost, finding it is part of the job. We agree a payment method that works for your country when the order is confirmed, including payment through relatives in Russia.
You can write in English — we reply in English.
Grave care in Moscow — main page · How it works · Grave search by name
Русская версия — эта же услуга на русском
