10 Unique Memorialization Ideas for Ashes

Cremation is the most common disposition in the US accounting for 58% of funerals in 2021 and forecasted to grow to 80% by 2040. In 2006, only 34% of funerals were cremations, which means in the last 15 years that rate has almost doubled! 

You might be wondering why these statistics are so important and what they mean for funeral traditions. In the US, burial has been the traditional funeral type for hundreds of years and still is for many people following strict religious traditions. If you picture a funeral, you probably think of a group of people dressed in black standing around a grave at a cemetery. This is a common ceremony for burials and ceremonies are important for the living to accept the reality of their loss and to help them grieve. As a part of our grieving, we have historically used cemeteries as memorials of our loved ones so we always have a place to visit and be reminded of them. Cremation offers us much more flexibility and personalization in the ways we can memorialize and be reminded of our loved ones. 

Have you ever considered alternative memorialization options like turning your loved one's ashes into a vinyl record with their favorite music on it? Or perhaps into glass art that you can display around your house? Even turning their ashes into a coral reef that helps rebuild fragile underwater ecosystems? If you're curious at the unique ways you can memorialize your loved one, then read on below.

What is memorialization and why is it important?

As we mentioned earlier, memorials are for the living. When we are grieving we are constantly reminded of our loved ones as we move forward in life. However, as time goes on and the waves of these emotions become more distant, it's nice to have a way to be reminded of our loved one and cherish the memories we had with them. For burial funerals, we memorialize our loved ones with a headstone at their grave that we can visit any time we like. However with cremation, we have more options for memorials that we can keep closer to home or make more personal to the individual and who they were.


What is a keepsake?

Keepsakes are objects kept in memory of your loved one. Typically, these objects hold ashes in them, like an urn. 


How much ash do you receive from a typical cremation?

Generally speaking, you will be left with between 4 to 6 lbs of ashes after cremation. This is roughly 200 cubic inches by volume, which in more familiar measurements equates to about 222 tablespoons, 14 cups or 3 liters. Please note that we provide these measurements to help you understand how much of your loved one's ashes are needed for each of the memorialization options below. We apologize if this upsets you in any way. It is also worth noting that the actual amount of ashes depends on the amount of bone mass of an individual, as ashes are made up of bone remnants. Therefore height and gender play a role in the amount you will receive, as opposed to the weight of the individual.

Alternative Memorialization Ideas

1. Scatter your loved one's ashes in a firework display

Heavenly Stars Fireworks offers two different types of firework displays:

How it works

How much does it cost?

How much ash is needed?

Note - if you want to retain some of your ashes for other purposes, you do not need to provide the full amount of ashes. Ultimately, you can hold onto as much as you'd like.

2. Send your loved one's ashes into outer space

Two notable companies that offer space experiences for your loved one's ashes are Celestis and Aura Flights. However they each offer unique space experiences:

How it works and pricing

Aura Flights offers 2 packages for sending your loved one's ashes into space. In both packages, your loved one's ashes will be brought to about 100,000 feet above the Earth's surface.

Celestis offers several packages, including the ability to go to the moon or deep space. These packages include a memorial service, a launch experience (where available), a video memorial video of the launch and a launch certificate. The launch experience includes the ability do a launchpad tour, a hosted dinner/reception and launch viewing, though the launch experience is an additional cost not included in the package price. 

How much does it cost?

Aura Flights:

Celestis:

For detailed pricing about the Celestis packages, please see this link.

How much ash is needed?

3. Turn your loved one's ashes into a coral reef

Eternal Reefs is a charitable organization that was created by two scuba divers who are working to protect and restore fragile reef ecosystems by use of their "reef balls". These balls are made of a special concrete mixture that creates a perfect medium for underwater micro-organisms to grow and help rebuild dying reefs. The ashes are mixed into a separate concrete mixture and are placed into the center of the reef ball like a pearl. A bronze plaque is mounted onto each reef ball with the name of your loved one and an inscription. 

How it works

Eternal Reefs offers families the ability to be a part of the reef ball creation and to hold funeral services, if desired. If you are interested, below are the services that are included when you purchase a reef ball:

You will also receive two Eternal Reefs Memorial Certificates displaying the GPS location of your reef. For more details on these services, see this link or visit their homepage to see a video of the experience.

How much does it cost?

The cost of a reef ball varies by size and whether you choose to include the services mentioned above. If you do not want to have the above mentioned services, the price is reflected below as "unattended":

Additional Notes

How much ash is needed?

Any amount that you desire. You can even choose to to have an Eternal Reef without adding your ashes to the reef ball.

4. Turn your loved one's ashes into a vinyl record

And Vinyly will press your loved one's ashes into a vinyl record and create album art that's as unique as your loved one. You can create your own soundtrack, a recording of a personal message your last will and testament or even just the sound of silence to hear your "pops and crackles". You can choose to add audio onto each side of the vinyl and depending on the size you choose (7" or 12"), you can have up to 22 minutes of audio per side. 

How it works

You can choose the following customization options for your record:

How much does it cost?

And Vinyly takes a very personalized and customized approach when it comes to creating your record. Therefore, the exact pricing depends on how much customization you want and you will need to contact them to figure this out. However, they do note that the total price of their orders tends to range between £1000 to £3000 ($1,170 to $3,500).

And Vinyly notes that since the vast majority of the cost involved in making a vinyl record is in the preparation and fabrication of the components, there is little difference in price to make 1 or 10 records. A few other ways you can save money include:

Additional Notes

You can provide your own artwork that And Vinyly will incorporate onto the record. Their standard design process is to design and create the artwork for you with your direction, however they will work with you to the extent that you prefer. 

How much ash is needed?

1 teaspoon per record.

5. Turn your loved one's ashes into a stone

Parting Stone will take your loved one's ashes and solidify them into a smooth stones that you can display around your house or garden. The color and texture of the stones varies by the ashes of each individual, making each set uniquely beautiful. The size of these stones varies from the size of your thumbnail to the size of your palm. These stones are described as being about as hard as a ceramic coffee mug.

How it works

Parting Stone will send you a collection kit where you or your funeral director can place the ashes into and ship out to their facility. They will then purify and create a clay-like material that will be heated to form the stones. The stones are cleaned, polished and returned to you to share with your friends or family. The amount of stones you will receive depends on the amount of ashes you send, however the full amount of ashes for an adult will yield between 40 to 60 stones on average. 

Parting Stone's service includes 100% individual batch processing, meaning your loved one's ashes are not mixed with any other ashes in the stone making process. They also offer you the ability to return the stones to ash if you are not satisfied with your order. 

How much does it cost?

Parting Stone offers different pricing for people and pets.

How much ash is needed?

At least 1/4 cup of ashes are needed to complete the process, however you can send as much of the ashes as you want to be solidified.

6. Turn your loved one's ashes into tattoo ink

For many people, getting a tattoo is already a practice of memorializing something in an artistic and meaningful way. Now, companies like Everance and Cremation Ink are taking it a step further, by mixing your loved one's ashes into tattoo ink for you to get a tattoo with. 

It's important to note that this process is not as simple as just mixing one's ashes with tattoo ink. Per Cremation Ink, cremated ashes are not sterile and if they are not handled properly they can cause infections, skin issues and even destruction of the tattoo itself. Not to mention, your tattoo artist likely won't be willing to tattoo you unless the ink comes from a reputable company.

How does it work

Both Everance and Cremation Ink claim medically sterile processes for creating quality tattoo ink on their websites. However, these two companies differ in that Cremation Ink will send you a bottle of ink, whereas Everance actually sends a vial of the ashes in a form that can be mixed into any tattoo ink at the shop. This is an important detail because with Cremation Ink, you will need to select the colors you want for your tattoo ahead of time, while Everance's vial can be mixed with any color you want. You can read more about the mixing process in Everance's FAQs.

How much does it cost?

Everance charges $195 for the first vial and $125 for each thereafter. They also charge a $30 fee for the collection kit + taxes and shipping, so if you do not already have a collection kit, the price for a vial of ashes is $225 + taxes and shipping. Since they don't send you tattoo ink, you will also need to pay for ink at the tattoo shop for your Everance to be mixed into.

Cremation Ink charges £99 or $114 for one bottle of ink. 

How much ash is needed?

1 tablespoon per bottle of ink. Cremation Ink will return any unused ashes.

7. Turn your loved one's ashes into a diamond

There are many companies that offer the ability to turn your loved one's ashes or DNA into a diamond. Diamonds are made up of carbon atoms that, when exposed to high pressure and high heat environments for long enough, will bond and create crystal formations. Since ashes are mostly made up of carbon, these diamond companies can extract that carbon and replicate the natural process of high heat and pressure to create a diamond from the ashes.

How it works

For each company listed below, you will send in a portion of your loved one's ashes to the company through a collection kit. From there, these companies will extract the carbon from the ashes and create the diamond to your specifications. The pricing of each diamond or gem depends on the carat, cut and color requested.

How much does it cost?

All costs below are ranges for the cheapest priced, Brilliant cut diamond at 0.1 to 0.19 carats, unless otherwise noted. Prices are for the diamond price only and does not include the cost of jewelry settings. Note that most of these companies offer discounts for orders of multiple diamonds. 

How much ash is needed?

8. Turn your loved one's ashes into ammunition

Holy Smoke will load your loved ones ashes into live ammunition that can be used for hunting, target practice or even a unique form of scattering. If your loved one was a hunter, you can tell Holy Smoke what type of hunting they practiced and they can recommend the type of ammunition and any specialty loads that will suit you best. They also offer a "Patriotic Salute", which leaves a smoke colored in red, white or blue, and non-firing ammunition that can be kept or worn as a necklace.

How it works

Once you contact Holy Smoke, they will work with you or your funeral director to have your loved one's ashes sent to their facility. You can discuss with them the types of ammunition you're interested in, which include rounds for rifles, pistols or shot gun shells. They offer the ability to do specialty loads for migratory birds, slugs and buckshot, as well as various gauges for shot guns.

How much does it cost?

Holy Smoke does not offer online pricing and instead insist that you call. The latest pricing online is from 2011 and quotes $850 for a case. However, they do mention on their website that they offer discounts for active or retired military and law enforcement personnel.

How much ash is used?

1 lb of ashes will produce a case of 250 shotgun shells, 100 rounds of rifle cartridges or 120 pistol cartridges. Any remaining ashes not used will be returned to you.

9. Turn your loved one's ashes into glass art

There are many companies that offer glass art keepsakes online and they come in all different shapes, sizes and types. Common art pieces include ornaments, paper weights and candle holders, however you can be as creative as you like with your options. You can search on google for companies with a wide selection of glass art that they can make for you, or you can try to find a local artisan on Etsy.

How it works

The company or glass maker will work with you to receive your loved one's cremated remains. If you are working with a local artisan, you may be able to customize the piece to make it unique and personalized to your loved one. Generally, when purchasing cremation glass art, the artisan will include your loved ones ashes into the glass when making it, though you should confirm this is the case as there are many different types of glass art products.

How much does it cost?

This really depends on the type of art you purchase, but the lower priced items on Etsy come in around $50.

How much ash is used?

Again, this really depends on the type of art you select, however generally you should only need about 1 tablespoon of ashes per piece.

10. Plant your loved ones ashes under a tree

Bios® and The Living Urn® are two different companies who offer biodegradable urns that allow you to plant your loved one's ashes with a tree. While a lot of the marketing you might see around these companies implies that your loved one becomes a tree, we feel its important to share that human ashes are actually harmful to the development of plants as they contain a high amount of sodium and a high PH. However, both of these companies have created solutions that are planted with the ashes to counteract this imbalance and lead to the development of a healthy tree. 

Planting your loved one under a tree is a beautiful and environmentally friendly memorialization, especially when compared the traditional granite headstone memorials used in traditional cemeteries. While you can plant these trees at home or another place of significance, both Bios® and The Living Urn® are working on a new concept of cemetery, which is more like a forest of these trees planted as memorials to loved one's. For Bios®, these are called Bios Park® and for The Living Urn®, these are called Memory Forests™. 

How it works

When you purchase a Bios Urn®, you will receive a Bios Urn® and a soil expansion disc. The Bios Urn® is biodegradable and has two separate capsules, with one for your ashes and another for the soil, soil expansion disc and seedling. Note they do not provide a seedling and you are responsible for purchasing your own.

When you purchase a Living Urn®, you will receive a natural bamboo outer storage container which you can keep as a keepsake, a BioUrn®, RootProtect® and wood chips. You also have the option of selecting a 1 to 4 foot living tree to be shipped with your Living Urn®, or purchasing one from a local nursery. If you choose to have a tree shipped, The Living Urn® will recommend trees that will grow best in your zip code.

How much does it cost?

How much ash is used?

You can use as much or as little of your loved one's ashes as you'd like in either urn, however the Bios Urn® claims a capacity of up to 5.8 lbs (2.5 liters).

Before you leave, we wanted to let you know that After Goodbye works with local funeral homes to list their services on our website. Funeral homes bundle commonly purchased services into packages for your convenience. You can see these packages, compare them across other funeral homes and personalize your arrangements from the comfort of your couch. Our services are completely free, find funeral homes near you now.

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