After losing a loved one, there are many decisions that you’ll need to make about how best to honour them. Once you’ve decided to cremate, the next most important decision is what to do with a loved one’s ashes. Thankfully, there are many creative options for keeping your loved one close to your heart.
From cremation necklaces and lockets, through to glass urns and memorial tattoos made with ashes, here is a helpful guide to finding a suitable memorial keepsake that honours your loved one’s memory.
Keepsake urns for turning ashes into jewellery
Wearable keepsake urns allow you to turn ashes into jewellery such as cremation necklaces and lockets so that you can keep your loved one close at all times.
Memorial necklaces and other keepsakes look just like regular jewellery, except they contain a small amount of ash inside — though you can also use them to hold other things such as sand, soil or dried flowers from the funeral. This means that you can decide whether you want to be discrete about the contents of the jewellery, or whether you wish to share the story of your loved one with others. Memorial keepsakes make an excellent conversation starter and are a great way of keeping your loved one’s memory alive.
Some people choose to wear these beautiful pieces every day, while others choose to only wear them on special occasions.
Turning ashes into diamonds
Perfect for making a lasting memorial keepsake, you may wish to turn your loved one’s ashes into diamonds. These stunning pieces can be made out of ashes or hair, and look just like a regular diamond.
Memorial diamonds are highly customisable and can be shaped to suit your taste and those of your loved one to best reflect their memory. Every company is different when it comes to the process of turning ashes into diamonds, but you can expect the following:
1. Select the shape, colour and style of your memorial diamond
2. Choose the cut and weight
3. Pick setting
4. Send in the ashes or a lock of hair
5. The company will send your memorial diamond once it’s finished
Memorial diamonds range anywhere from $2,000 to $9,000 and will look and feel almost identical to a natural diamond.
Turn ashes into a glass memorial keepsake
Putting ashes into glass is a beautiful, tasteful, and wonderfully personal way of keeping a loved one close. Memorial glass can be turned into many different shapes, sizes and colours to suit your individual preferences, and those of the one who has passed.
Hand blown glass cremation urns will keep the ashes safely contained inside, and can be used as ornaments, paperweights, or can even be turned into jewellery. You can request that the ashes be turned into multiple glass objects so that each member of your family can have their own memorial keepsake. Otherwise, you may choose to have a singular piece that can bring family and friends together to celebrate the loved one’s memory.
Bright, colourful and tactile, memorial glass is a particularly good option for helping children to remember those who have passed.
Memorial tattoos with ashes*
For a truly personalised way of commemorating a loved one, you may wish to consider making a memorial tattoo with their ashes.
Memorial tattoos are a growing trend in the tattooing world. While many people simply wish to have a memorial tattoo featuring their loved one, others go a step further and include their ashes in the ink.
Care must be taken to ensure that the process is as safe as possible, so make sure to consult a doctor before scheduling your memorial tattoo with ashes. Make sure to choose a reputable and experienced tattoo artist who has tattooed using ashes before.
The process is as follows:
1. Select a design for your memorial tattoo that best suits you and the memory of your loved one.
2. Seek out a reputable tattoo artist with experience using ash.
3. The ashes will be sifted and filtered until they make a very fine powder.
4. The ashes may need to be heated to ensure that they’re sterilised.
5. Finally, the artist will mix a small amount of ash into the ink, and the tattoo will proceed as normal.
* Please note: This is not a recommendation. Logan Funerals accepts no responsibility for any injury incurred from body modification. Please seek independent medical advice before making any alterations to your body.
What else can you do with a loved one’s ashes?
While there are many options for creating memorial keepsakes, sometimes a loved one may have preferred to keep it simple. Here are some of the simplest options for honouring a loved one’s memory:
. Scatter the ashes
. Inter the ashes at a cemetery
. Keep the ashes at home
. Bury the ashes, plant a tree and watch it grow
If you’re still not sure what to do with a loved one’s ashes, download our memorial urn catalogue today to find the memorial keepsake or urn that best suits you and your loved one.
We can help you find the most suitable options for creating a lasting memory.
For more ideas to hold your loved ones close, explore our range of memorial urns in the comprehensive urn booklet and find a memorial style to suit you and your loved ones.