With the skyrocketing trend of increasing cremation rates in the United States, cemetery operators are looking for ways to stay relevant. If there’s no body to bury, what do you do? You look for ways to make placement of cremated remains an attractive option.
Coldspring, one of the largest natural stone manufacturers in the United States, has some ingenious ideas. At the 2018 convention and expo of the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA), they showed two family estate monuments that can hold the cremated remains of multiple generations, as well as mark a family burial plot.
Called Private Estates®, these monuments weigh 5,100-5,250 pounds and come in a choice of stone colors and finishes.
In past years, Coldspring displayed a full mausoleum building that could hold numerous bodies for an eternal slumber. But with the national average cremation rate surpassing 50% in 2016, funeral industry suppliers are responding to the prevailing trend.
In this video below, Dan Rea, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Coldspring, points out the features of these Private Estates® monuments. They can hold multiple generations, with options for different configurations and materials.
“We’ve got materials that are part of national monuments,” said Rea. The reddish carnelian stone featured in the second mini-mausoleum in this video was used the Franklin Roosevelt monument in Washington, D.C.
The first monument in the video can hold the cremated remains of up to seven people. Up to six can be placed on shelves inside the monument, and the granite urn pictured can hold the seventh person’s cremated remains.
Beginning in 1898 with a single quarry and a hardworking stonecutter, Coldspring has become one of the largest natural stone manufacturers serving commercial, landscaping, memorialization and residential customers. They are granite experts, and they also provide bronze memorials and signage, diamond tools, and cemetery building consulting and construction services. They also quarry and sell other materials, including marble, limestone, sandstone and composites for specialized applications. Learn more at www.ColdspringUSA.com.