Pearl White Granite Tombstone Heart Design with Rose Carvings Headstone

Heart: Love, Love of God, Abode of the Soul, Mortality. Stylized hearts stand for the affection of the living for the dead. A heart can symbolize many things. Chief among these are love. Whether love of God or love of another, such as a spouse or family, the heart is used to symbolizes devotion to something or someone. It can also represent mortality and the essence of life.

Roses: Not only do roses represent earthly passion (just think how many are given at Valentine’s Day) but they also stand for heavenly perfection.

When carved on a headstone, roses nearly always have 3 leaves. A quick look at my backyard rose bush confirmed that this is not botanically accurate! Symbolically, however, this trio of leaves represents the holy trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Rosebuds most often appear on the graves of children and teens as a way of expressing that they were not able to achieve their full potential. A single blossom, such as the one in the photo above, usually signifies the passing of a young woman.