There are many decisions to be made after you lose someone you love. You need to determine what type of memorial service would best reflect the life of your family member. You also need to choose what flowers will be displayed at the service and the songs that will be sung at the funeral. 

One of the most significant decisions that you’ll need to make is deciding what you’ll do with the cremation ashes of your family member. Perhaps your loved one made the decision for you as a part of their end-of-life planning. But if this decision was never discussed, you have a lot of options to consider.

Of course, you can keep your loved one’s cremated remains in an urn and find a place to lovingly display them in your home. You can also bury the ashes or scatter them on land or at sea. We’d like to give you some more modern options on what to do with cremation ashes. Here are some new ideas to consider.

Popular Keepsakes Made from Ashes

Within the last few decades, as cremation has become the most popular choice for Americans, a whole new industry has emerged. These companies have found ways to create beautiful keepsakes using some or all of your loved one’s cremated remains. 

Here are some unique ideas on how to celebrate the life of your loved one.

Cremation Glass Art

Artists who work with glass have discovered a way to incorporate your loved one’s cremation ashes inside beautiful and unique pieces of art. Although the process varies a bit depending upon the artist, most glassblowers add the ashes to the molten glass when the temperature has risen up to 2,000 degrees. The remaining carbon from the cremated remains is immediately burned off, and the remains that are left turn into a brilliant white. This is incorporated into the glass artwork, which can be made in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.

Cremation Record Album

Do you have audio recordings of your loved one that you would like to preserve in a meaningful way? Consider having a record album made of your loved one singing, playing an instrument, reading, or simply talking. During the process of making the record, your loved one’s cremation ashes will be pressed into the vinyl. The resulting crackles that you hear while listening to the sounds of your departed loved one come from the remains interspersed throughout the record.

Cremation Tattoos

Consult with tattoo artists in your area to see if they have experience working with ink infused with cremated remains. Some artists have perfected this method and will use this unique ink to create a piece of artwork on your body.

Cremation Diamonds

If time and money aren’t a concern, you can also have a portion of your loved one’s cremation ashes made into a diamond. The resulting diamond is real, even though it is a lab-created diamond instead of one found in nature. The diamond can be cut to your specifications and mounted on whatever type of jewelry appeals to you. A cremation diamond will be enjoyed by future generations. You’ll be creating a family heirloom when you choose this method of memorializing your loved one.

Hidden Compartment Cremation Jewelry

There are two main classifications of cremation jewelry. You can purchase rings or pendants that have obvious or hidden compartments that allow you to hold a tiny portion of cremation ashes. 

You could also use a small portion of your loved one’s ashes to create a small piece of glass artwork that can be incorporated into a piece of jewelry. You can also hire a company to grow a gemstone in a color of your choice. 

Parting Stone, A New Option

A new company has developed a way to transform cremation ashes into a thing of beauty that is easily displayed and held. Parting Stone will use the full amount of your loved one’s cremains to make cremation stones.

The process is beautifully simple. After you request a starter kit, you will be shipped a container that allows you to safely transport your loved one’s ashes to the Parting Stone’s lab. Contaminates and medical device particles will be removed from the ashes, and the stones will be formed and hardened in a kiln. A one-hundred-pound person’s cremains will result in about 20 or 25 stones, which can be distributed among family members and close friends.

Other Ways to Remember a Loved One

Regardless of what you and your family decide to do with the cremated remains of your loved one, there are many other ways you can keep their memories alive. Share stories and photographs with each other. Keep family traditions alive that your loved one enjoyed. Most importantly, find a way to preserve or store your loved one’s cremains so that they can act as a daily reminder that your loved one’s life had meaning and beauty.