Kip Steckman of C.K. Steckman Memorials in Renfrew, and Mike Aaron, owner of Clarion Monuments, offer the following guidelines for those selecting a tombstone.

"You go from style to size (of stone), then you go to color," Aaron said. "There's a large variety in colors. The different colored granites come from different parts of the country."

According to Steckman, where a deposit of granite is located, there are usually several colors mined from that area.

These are the most common colors used in stones today.Gray - Many of the traditional gray granites come from Burry, Vt.Pink - Many shades of pink exist. Much of the pink hails from North America. A Canadian Pink is popular. A Salisbury Pink is extracted from quarries in North Carolina.Black - Different qualities and shades of black exist. High quality India Black is imported from India. The mine in Chambersburg, Pa., produces a midgrade marbled color often referred to as mist black.Blue - Sweden and Norway are the main exporters of the blue stones.Green - Different greens come from Canada and India.Mahogany - Most of the mahogany colors hail from the Dakotas.