H&S Memorial Studio

H&S Memorial Studio Celebrating life's beautiful stories since 1929.

01/15/2026

After carving the background flat with tooling setback, we often turn to a method called V-cut chiselled lettering for the main inscription.

Crafted entirely by hand, this technique gives each letter a sharp, angled cut, adding clarity and depth to the design.

It’s a refined finish that brings out the shape of the lettering and works especially well with gold leaf.

Not every workshop offers this style of carving. It takes skill, control, and a good understanding of how light interacts with the stone.

01/08/2026

People often ask how we get such a clean, flat surface around the lettering on a headstone.

One of our preferred ways is actually a technique called tooling setback, and we do it by hand.

Using a carbide chisel, we carefully carve the area around the design to create a smooth, even background. It helps the letters stand out clearly and gives the whole piece a more defined, finished look.

This is one of the ways we make sure every detail is cared for, start to finish.

As 2026 begins, we want to take a moment to thank our neighbours, clients, and community for your continued trust and co...
01/01/2026

As 2026 begins, we want to take a moment to thank our neighbours, clients, and community for your continued trust and connection.

This year marks H&S Memorial Studio’s 97th year. A legacy built through dedicated craft, compassionate care, and commitment across generations.

January is often seen as a slower time, but it is in fact the ideal season to begin planning a memorial. Winter allows for thoughtful decisions, clearer timelines, and ensures that by spring, everything is ready for installation.

It’s also the right moment to get ahead of the seasonal rush, and before new pricing takes effect later this winter.

If you’re ready to start planning, reach out to us.

Wishing you a meaningful start to the year ahead 🕊️

12/23/2025

For many families, the holidays are a time of gathering and celebration, and also of remembrance.

This season brings up the absence of someone who should be there. A seat at the table, a voice in the room, a memory that feels especially close.

Whether you honour that person through a visit, a tradition, or simply by sharing a story, these moments help carry their presence forward.

From all of us at H&S Memorial Studio, we wish you peace and comfort this holiday season, and strength in the ways you choose to remember 🌹

At this time of year, we take a moment to thank the people who make our work possible.This week, Joy has been delivering...
12/16/2025

At this time of year, we take a moment to thank the people who make our work possible.

This week, Joy has been delivering calendars as a small gesture of appreciation, and we’ve added a few seasonal touches around the studio as snow began to settle outside.

This field relies on steady relationships – with cemetery staff, suppliers, partners, and the community we serve. From all of us at H&S Memorial Studio, thank you for trust and support.

12/09/2025

There’s no shortcuts here. Just experience, patience, and a good chisel.

This is hand-tooled lettering, using an air hammer and a carbide-tipped chisel to shape raised letters by hand.

It’s a traditional technique that takes time, precision, and a very steady hand. The smooth, recessed background creates a clean contrast that helps the letters stand out.

It’s rarely done this way today, but we think the results speak for themselves.

12/02/2025

Every year, the City of Hamilton works with families to honour local veterans by arranging official grave markers. Once the details are confirmed, the monuments come to our studio to be engraved.

This season, we’re working on three: one for a WWII glider pilot, one for a Royal Canadian Air Force veteran alongside his wife, and one with a maple leaf for a Canadian Army serviceman.

Each marker is carved in Stanstead Grey granite, with emblems and inscriptions that reflect the person’s service, and sometimes, their family too.

It means a great deal to us to be trusted with this work. We don’t often learn the full stories behind the names, but we take care to carve each detail with accuracy and respect, and with gratitude for their service.

Losing a pet means saying goodbye to a member of the family. Their place in our lives and in our hearts deserves to be r...
11/25/2025

Losing a pet means saying goodbye to a member of the family. Their place in our lives and in our hearts deserves to be remembered with care.

At H&S Memorial Studio, we create custom pet markers with the same attention and craftsmanship that define all of our memorials.

Each one is made from quality granite or stone and engraved to last, whether it’s placed at Hamilton Pet Cemetery or as a personal marker in your own garden.

From names and dates to a small symbol or photo, every detail is chosen to honour that bond and keep their memory close.

Thinking about adding an inscription to a memorial?Most can be completed right in the cemetery, so the monument doesn’t ...
11/21/2025

Thinking about adding an inscription to a memorial?

Most can be completed right in the cemetery, so the monument doesn’t need to be moved. Our lettering specialist traces the existing design, cuts a matching stencil on site, and sandblasts the new lettering directly onto the stone.

If the original memorial was created by us, we often have the design on file, making it easy to keep the new inscription perfectly aligned. It’s a careful, efficient process that helps families update a memorial right where it stands.

Remembrance is at the heart of what we do 🌹Each day, we work with families who want to honour someone they love. To keep...
11/11/2025

Remembrance is at the heart of what we do 🌹

Each day, we work with families who want to honour someone they love. To keep a name, a story, a life remembered.

On Remembrance Day, we pause with our community in Hamilton to honour those who served and those who gave their lives.

Lest we forget.

11/04/2025

Hamilton Cemetery has been part of the City of Hamilton's history for nearly two centuries, and part of ours for most of our 97 years.

Set on Burlington Heights, it’s the city’s oldest public burial ground and the resting place of many who helped shape its early history, including George Hamilton, the city’s founder.

Our team has worked here for generations. Designing, installing, and restoring memorials that have become part of the landscape.

We’re proud to have a long connection to this place and to the community it represents.

Here’s a look at one of the engraving techniques we often use at H&S: the rubber stencil method.Each design begins on sc...
10/30/2025

Here’s a look at one of the engraving techniques we often use at H&S: the rubber stencil method.

Each design begins on screen. Once finalized, it’s cut into thick rubber using a plotter. That stencil is then applied to the stone, and our team begins a careful process called weeding, removing only the sections where carving is needed.

The stencil protects the rest of the stone while we engrave, usually through sandblasting. It allows for precision, especially with detailed lettering or artwork, and helps us maintain the polished surface around it.

This method is one of the ways we ensure each memorial is crafted with care, accuracy, and respect for the story it’s telling.

Address

676 KING Street WEST
Hamilton, ON
L8P1C5

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 9am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm

Telephone

+19055292113

Website

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