Editing Granite (section)

====Sculpture and memorials====
[[File:Olhares sobre o Museu do Ipiranga 2017 041.jpg|thumb|The graves of Emperor [[Pedro I of Brazil]] (also King of Portugal as Pedro IV) and his two wives [[Maria Leopoldina of Austria|Maria Leopoldina]] (not pictured, facing his grave) and [[Amélie of Leuchtenberg|Amélie]] (left), in the [[Monument to the Independence of Brazil]], are made of green granite. The walls as well as the floor are clad with the same material.<ref>{{cite web|author=De Matteo, Giovanna |title=Leopoldina e Teresa Cristina: descubra o que aconteceu com as "mães do Brasil"|url=https://aventurasnahistoria.uol.com.br/noticias/reportagem/leopoldina-e-tereza-cristina-descubra-o-que-aconteceu-com-as-maes-do-brasil.phtml|date=12 September 2020|language=pt|access-date=29 December 2022}}</ref>]]

In some areas, granite is used for gravestones and memorials. Granite is a hard stone and requires skill to carve by hand. Until the early 18th century, in the Western world, granite could be carved only by hand tools with generally poor results.

A key breakthrough was the invention of steam-powered cutting and dressing tools by Alexander MacDonald of [[Aberdeen]], inspired by seeing ancient Egyptian granite carvings. In 1832, the first polished tombstone of Aberdeen granite to be erected in an English cemetery was installed at [[Kensal Green Cemetery]]. It caused a sensation in the London monumental trade and for some years all polished granite ordered came from MacDonald's.<ref>Friends of West Norwood Cemetery newsletter 71 [http://www.fownc.org/pdf/newsletter73.pdf Alexander MacDonald (1794–1860) – Stonemason],</ref> As a result of the work of sculptor William Leslie, and later Sidney Field, granite memorials became a major status symbol in Victorian Britain. The royal sarcophagus at [[Frogmore#Royal Mausoleum|Frogmore]] was probably the pinnacle of its work, and at 30 tons one of the largest. It was not until the 1880s that rival machinery and works could compete with the MacDonald works.

Modern methods of carving include using computer-controlled rotary bits and [[sandblasting]] over a rubber stencil. Leaving the letters, numbers, and emblems exposed and the remainder of the stone covered with rubber, the blaster can create virtually any kind of artwork or epitaph.

The stone known as "black granite" is usually [[gabbro]], which has a completely different chemical composition.<ref name="Geologydotcom">{{Cite web |title=Gabbro |url=https://geology.com/rocks/gabbro.shtml |access-date=2022-01-25 |website=Geology.com}}</ref>