Many stonemasons create beautiful and informative engravings, which are made in such a way that they compliment the object that they are engraved on. Examples of this can be seen in  a number of instances in everyday life. Most commonly the stone inscriptions that feature on headstones to commemorate the life and death of those who have passed on. There are also other examples such as foundation stones for buildings and memorials that feature decorative stone engravings.

Creating stone engravings and inscriptions takes a great deal of skill. This is due to the hardness of stone which is naturally difficult to manipulate. However, using traditional techniques and tools to work with the stone, such as lettering chisels, points, mallets and toothed hammers, as well as modern power tools, an experienced stone mason can create detailed and decorative engravings, regardless of the rigidness of the stone.