Bronze, a semi-precious metal, made up of 87% Copper, 10% Tin, and trace elements of lead, zinc and other elements that provide a permanent way to customize and memorialize a life lived.
Bronze memorials are still cast individually, based on the design by each family. Once completed, each memorial is finished with a background color and has a protective coating. The entire process once a design is approved takes from 8-12 weeks. There are about 27 individuals that touch each bronze memorial until its completion.
This protective coating is guaranteed to last for about 10 years, but depending on weather and the environment could last even longer with proper care and maintenance.
Although many families love the newly finished memorial, the protective coasting is not permanent. It is not meant to be so. For unlike other metals, the color of bronze most highly prized is not its original color, but the rich, natural patina than only weathering and age can bring.
The natural finish, or patina, of course is actually a protective coating formed by nature when the manufacturer’s coating weathers away. It is not a film of color on the bronze, but actually part of the bronze itself.
It is said that bronze was chosen not only because of the properties already listed, but that as we lose a loved one and begin our path to healing, so does the bronze memorial begin to heal from the manufacturing process. As time goes, the patina is a sign of healing.
