3 Unique Cremation Jewelry Options

Have you ever wished your loved one could feel a little bit closer? Cremation jewelry is a unique and beautiful way to honor your loved ones by always keeping them close to your heart. These pieces use a small amount of your loved one’s ashes, turning them into personal keepsakes that can be passed down through generations.

As this trend grows in popularity, the variety of styles, materials, and applications is growing. While some cremation jewelry is made for ashes, others are made with ashes.

There are endless beautiful ways to treasure your departed with jewelry for ashes of a loved one. Pet cremation jewelry is also an option with most of these products. Below we explore the basic categories of cremation jewelry and then consider 4 great options for choosing the right item for you.

Tip: If you want to transform a loved one's ashes into something unique, jewelry isn't your only option. You could solidify the ashes into beautiful, natural-looking stones you can hold in your hand with Parting Stone. 

1. Turn Cremated Remains into Diamonds

To make synthetic diamonds from cremated remains, several ounces of the ashes are placed in a crucible that can withstand massive heat. They then are brought to over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit to allow all of the elements except the carbon to oxidize.

First, the carbon will turn to graphite. The graphite is placed in a core with a metal catalyst and a diamond seed crystal into a diamond press. The graphite is heated to about 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit and pressure of about 800,000 pounds per square inch is applied.

After several weeks the graphite will turn into a rough crystal. It is then removed and cut with faceting tools to your specifications.1 The entire process will take over a month, but an authentic man-made diamond is forever, indeed.

2. Wear a Jewelry Urn for Ashes

A small urn that can be worn as a necklace, ring, or bracelet--or even attach to a keychain-- will allow you to keep a little of your loved one with you whenever you wish. Styles vary from classic to contemporary and hold approximately 1/8 teaspoon (although some larger vessels can hold more).

Most jewelry urns keep the interior memorial private and reveal nothing about what is cradled inside. If you prefer to wear the ashes visibly,  you can select jewelry where the cremated remains are visible through a glass vessel.

Some options allow for personalization in the form of your loved one’s name, birth/death dates, or other text and even images added to the urn. Alternatively, a decorative charm containing these elements can be added to be worn alongside the urn itself.

3. Commission Hand-Blown Glass Cremation Jewelry

Glass products made with cremated ashes can range from beautiful hand-blown orbs to gem-like pieces in many shapes and sizes. A variety of processes are used to craft these products, but most involve carefully incorporating the ashes into molten glass.

As the cremated remains mix with the heated glass, they become permanently fused and suspended within it. The encased cremation ashes can create a swirling array of beautiful flecks and bubble patterns within the glass.

The resulting piece can be worn as a pendant or used as a bead in other pieces. Larger glass orbs can be created for paper-weight type ornaments and other tabletop displays.

Where to Buy Cremation Jewelry Online

Beyond a wide selection of uncustomized options on Amazon, there are several sites that specialize in more unique and bespoke options for cremation jewelry.

1. Cremation Diamonds from Eterneva

Eterneva turns cremated ashes in memorial diamonds through their one-of-a-kind scientific process. These gorgeous diamonds are created from the carbon that is naturally inside all human and animal bodies and cut to any specification.

It takes only a few tablespoons to ½ cup of ashes to create a diamond made from part of your loved one. Once created, these certified diamonds can be incorporated into any jewelry setting or other purposes.

Customers say it is like having a piece of the deceased sparkling at them.

2. Stardust Memorials Cremation Jewelry

Stardust Memorials offers a wide selection of cremation jewelry that hold a small amount of ashes in special compartments. Featuring categories such as angels, butterflies, hearts, crosses, and more, these pendant style pieces come in stainless steel, sterling silver, and bronze.

Stardust Memorials also offers pet cremation jewelry. Engraving can be added to most pieces, personalizing your jewelry even further.

3. Etsy

Etsy is an online marketplace for artists and crafters, with over 22,000 cremation jewelry products found in a simple search. The range of products is staggering, from pendants to rings to bracelets to earrings.

Because products are sold from independent sellers, it is important to understand the specifications of each item and read reviews.

4. Everlasting Memories Cremation Jewelry

Everlasting Memories has a large selection of cremation jewelry for men, women, and families. With hundreds of designs to choose from, these pieces hold a small keepsake that buys fill themselves.

All items come with filling instructions, and funeral directors will often provide this service for those who don’t feel comfortable. Personalization and engraving are available on most pieces, and turnaround is fast.

As cremation jewelry doesn’t require all your loved one’s cremated remains, you may want to explore options for other things to do with ashes.

Sources

1. “How Cremation Diamonds Are Made” Cremation Solutions. www.cremationsolutions.com/cremation-jewelry-for-ashes/cremation-diamonds/how-cremation-diamonds-are-made
2. “Choosing the Right Cremation Urn, Keepsake, or Jewelry.” Neptune Society,  November 13, 2015, www.neptunesociety.com/cremation-information-articles/choosing-the-right-cremation-urn-keepsake-or-jewelry