Coping with the loss of a loved one is never an easy experience. Thus, some people manage their feelings by keeping a part of their loved one close to them after they pass. This serves as a reminder that, although they may no longer be here, their spirit and memory live on.
Overview: Our Top Picks
- Urn necklace with an engraved photo ($23.99)
- Guardian angel cremation necklace ($12.99)
- Teardrop urn necklace ($17.81)
- Memorial diamonds from Eterneva
- Initial letter urn ($37.99)
Jump ahead to these sections:
- How Do You Fill an Urn Necklace?
- How Much Do Urn Necklaces Typically Cost?
- Can You Create a Custom Urn Necklace?
- Types of Urn Necklaces for Pet Ashes
- Types of Urn Necklaces for a Parent’s Ashes
- Types of Urn Necklaces for a Spouse or Partner’s Ashes
- Types of Urn Necklaces for a Child’s Ashes
- Where Can You Buy an Urn Necklace Online?
One way to keep a loved one close after their passing is to store their cremains in an urn necklace. Cremation jewelry options are becoming more and more common, and if you’ve cremated a close family member or friend, you don’t have to store the cremains in a traditional urn. You can instead opt to take them with you wherever you please in the form of jewelry.
Keep reading if this idea interests you. The following are some of the various types of beautiful urn necklaces you can choose from.
How Do You Fill an Urn Necklace?
To some degree, filling an urn necklace can vary depending on the specific design of the pendant. That said, the openings to urn necklace pendants tend to be fairly small. As such, you need to exercise caution when filling one to avoid spilling any of your loved one’s cremains during the process.
Filling an urn necklace generally involves the following steps:
- Find a space that is well-lit, away from fans and open windows, and offers a relatively large flat surface on which to work
- Opening the urn necklace pendant
- Insert a small funnel into the opening, as many urn necklaces come with such funnels (you can use sturdy cardstock paper or similar material to create a makeshift funnel if your urn necklace did not come with one)
- Remove a small amount of your loved one’s ashes from their existing container with a tiny spoon or other such scooping implements
- Slowly and carefully transfer the ashes from the spoon into the funnel and allow them to pour into the pendant
- Close and secure the pendant
Once you believe the amount of ashes in your urn necklace pendant is satisfactory, consider carefully sealing it with a non-water-soluble glue. This will ensure it doesn’t open unexpectedly one day.
How Much Do Urn Necklaces Typically Cost?
The cost of an urn necklace can vary based on factors like the materials in the pendant, the artisan or company that manufactures the necklace, whether the necklace features additional beads or pendants, and more. There’s no universal price for an urn necklace.
For example, some companies offer high-quality gold urn necklaces that can cost upwards of $1,000. These items are fairly expensive not only because they boast aesthetic appeal, but because the quality of their materials ensures they’re likely to stay in good condition for with proper care.
That doesn’t mean you can’t afford to purchase an urn necklace for your loved one’s ashes if you’re on a budget. Relatively expensive urn necklaces are somewhat rare. If you perform a basic search, you’ll find there are many urn necklaces you can purchase for under $100.
Be sure to research your options before deciding to purchase an urn necklace from a particular supplier. Although you may be trying to save money, you must also consider the sentimental value this item will have. You don’t want to run the risk of purchasing a low-quality urn necklace that will break easily.
Fortunately, there are numerous artisans and companies offering urn necklaces, so finding a reputable option within your budget shouldn't be particularly difficult. You should shop around a little before deciding you’ve found the perfect item.
Can You Create a Custom Urn Necklace?
Certainly. If you know how to make jewelry, you can make your own urn necklace using any materials and design ideas you’d like. This is a smart way to ensure the finished product perfectly matches the vision you have in your head.
Don’t worry if you wish to create a custom urn necklace but you don’t have the skills necessary to do so yourself. Another option is to find a designer who already makes these types of items and ask them if they’re able to create an urn necklace according to your specifications. Through platforms like Etsy, finding an artisan to create an urn necklace on your behalf is easier than ever.
Again, you simply must remember to look into the reputation of an artist before deciding to hire them. The fact that someone claims they can make an item matching your vision doesn’t mean they can actually deliver.
Check reviews from past customers to confirm an artist you may hire is someone you can trust to deliver the ideal product. You don’t want to hire someone for this job, only to find out they were exaggerating when they claimed they could turn your vision for an urn necklace into a reality.
Types of Urn Necklaces for Pet Ashes
Pets offer some of life’s greatest joys. When they pass, we want to remember that joy. These types of urn necklaces can help:
1. Photo engraved pendant
Many people find that looking at a photo of their pet for a mere instant is enough to put a smile on their face. If you’re such a person, and you’re sadly mourning the loss of a pet, you can order an urn necklace pendant featuring an engraved photo of your furry friend.
2. Animal shape
Numerous urn necklace pendant suppliers offer pendants in the shape of various animals, including birds, fish, horses, and many others. Such pendants are perfect for storing the cremains of a pet.
3. Dog bone
Remind yourself of a lost dog’s appetite for life with an urn necklace pendant in the shape of a dog bone. You can find these pendants from a variety of suppliers.
The cute design can help ease the pain you might otherwise sometimes feel when looking at your urn necklace and thinking about the times you spent with your pet.
4. Pawprint
A popular urn necklace pendant design is a basic rounded pendant with a paw print in the center. It’s a cute way to store a dog or cat’s cremains!
Types of Urn Necklaces for a Parent’s Ashes
Parents offer us guidance, support, love, and so much more. Honor the memory of a lost parent with one of these options:
5. Guardian angel (or another religious icon)
Children (of any age!) who lose parents sometimes cope with their loss by imagining them as their guardian angel. If you know someone with strong religious beliefs, they might want to store a parent’s cremains in an urn necklace pendant that resembles a traditional guardian angel. Plenty of suppliers offer pendants in this style.
Similarly, if a child wants to honor the memory of a religious parent, but doesn’t necessarily resonate with the guardian angel idea, they can choose a pendant with the image of praying hands. These types of pendants are also relatively easy to find. Other types of common urn necklace pendants that symbolize religion include Buddhas, saint medallions, Stars of David, and numerous others. These are all options to consider if you’re mourning a parent who valued their religious beliefs.
6. Hobby-themed
Numerous urn necklace pendant options may correspond to lost parent’s hobbies. You can find pendants in the shape of motorcycles, fish hooks, golf balls, boxing gloves, and much more.
If a certain hobby played an important role in your parent’s life, you might want to see if anyone offers an urn necklace pendant that symbolizes their passion.
If you're looking for something very unique (think a favorite toy, their motorcycle, or instrument of choice), you can custom order an urn from a store like Foreverence. You submit a design idea or sketch, then the company designs and 3D prints your urn, so you get a 100% unique container.
7. Cultural iconography
Parents often pass down certain cultural values and beliefs to their children. When a parent passes away, a child can honor that tradition by wearing an urn necklace featuring a pendant that symbolizes their parent’s culture.
The specific type of pendant you’d choose would depend on your own cultural background, but popular options include four-leafed clovers, flags, and even bullets for those with a military background.
Types of Urn Necklaces for a Spouse or Partner’s Ashes
Romantic love can be so strong that it transcends death. Anyone who has sadly lost a partner or spouse may want to keep them close with one of these urn necklace styles:
8. Memorial diamond
This is a unique entry on this list because memorial diamonds don’t technically qualify as urns, as they aren’t actual containers for storing cremains. However, this is still an option worth considering if you’re mourning a lost romantic partner. Various companies can extract the remaining carbon from a loved one’s cremains and use it to create a diamond. They essentially turn a partner’s cremains into a symbol of enduring love.
Some companies, like Eterneva, create lab-grown diamonds and allow you to pick from several cuts and colors for your gemstone.
9. Heart
Although it’s an obvious choice, it’s also perfectly appropriate for storing the cremains of a spouse or partner. Many companies offer small heart-shaped pendants that hold a small portion of cremains.
10. Flower art
Flowers often inspire urn necklace designers to create pendants that also serve as cremation art. They typically consist of pendants with transparent resin or glass front sides, displaying artistic designs that resemble flowers. This could be the ideal urn necklace pendant for someone remembering a lost romantic partner.
11. Initials
Sometimes partners and spouses show their love by getting tattoos of their significant other’s name or initials. This is a similar idea. Many urn necklace suppliers offer pendants in the shape of letters, allowing customers to wear the initials of lost loved ones whenever they wish.
12. Holding hands
If you search through the options various urn necklace suppliers offer, you’ll eventually find several types of pendants that resemble two people holding hands. You might choose such a pendant to store the cremains of a deceased spouse or partner.
Types of Urn Necklaces for a Child’s Ashes
The pain of losing a child is tremendous. It’s not an easy thing to overcome. Some may find it easier with one of these urn necklaces.
13. Classic cylinder
Someone who wants to keep a lost child close in the form of an urn necklace might want to do so in a subtle way. In other words, they might not want the necklace’s pendant to be so unique that people who don’t know the story behind it ask about its purpose. Luckily, many urn necklace pendants come in the form of generic cylinders that serve their purpose without attracting too much attention.
If you don’t want people asking about your urn necklace pendant frequently, but you also feel a generic cylinder isn’t dynamic or visually-appealing enough to properly honor your child’s memory, you can also find pendants in various contemporary styles that don’t resemble any particular object, but merely look like attractive pendants you might wear with any piece of jewelry. They’re unique enough to stand out, but not so flashy that they’ll attract constant questions.
14. Angel wing
Many people who lose children take comfort in the idea that their children have become angels after their passing. Such a person might want to keep their child’s cremains in a pendant that resembles an angel wing. Fortunately, many suppliers offer this design option.
15. Butterfly
Parents who outlive their children often find it important to reassure themselves that their children still live on in some capacity.
That’s why pendants in the shape of butterflies are also popular choices for parents wearing urn necklaces. In many cultures throughout the world, butterflies symbolize resurrection and hope, themes that may naturally appeal to a mourning parent.
16. Footprint heart
Another common pendant design for urn necklaces is a heart shape with the shape of two footprints in the center. Because parents often keep casts of their children’s footprints during the early years when they’re growing quickly, this is an option that might appeal to a parent who lost a young child.
Foreverence specializes in creating unique, customized urns for any loved one. They can create one-of-a-kind, wearable creators to match any style or legacy.
Where Can You Buy an Urn Necklace Online?
There is no shortage of options for purchasing an urn necklace through the internet. The following are a few noteworthy examples to keep in mind:
Everlasting Memories
Everlasting Memories is an online shop exclusively selling items that memorialize deceased loved ones and pets. The shop offers a fairly wide selection or urn necklaces in a variety of styles.
Some of the products it sells are premium items that may cost more than you’re willing to spend. However, because the shop’s inventory is quite large, you also shouldn’t have much trouble finding a less costly item if you’d like to purchase a reasonably affordable urn necklace.
Just Vial
Just Vial is a smaller shop than Everlasting Memories. Nevertheless, it earns a spot on this list because it offers personalized urn necklaces.
When making a purchase from Just Vial, you begin by selecting one of the company’s base design styles. Popular shapes include tubes, circles, hearts, cubes, and even more unique options, such as hourglasses, acorns, stars, and teardrops. You can also choose from various popular colors, including gold, silver, and rose gold.
Upon choosing the color and shape of your urn necklace, you can specify how you would like to personalize it. This usually involves deciding which words you’d like the company to engrave your necklace with. Many customers choose traditional options, such as the name of the deceased, but you also have the option to include a short message if it’ll fit on the pendant.
Urns.com
As the name implies, Urns.com is an online retailer selling urns in a variety of styles. Along with larger traditional urns, the company also offers a fairly robust selection of urn necklaces.
The pendants this online shop sells come in many different shapes. Along with traditional options, such as hearts and circles, you can also find urn necklaces in shapes like crosses, anchors, and even bullets. Browse the selection to see if you can find a particular style of urn necklace that you have been unable to track down elsewhere.
Etsy
Again, Etsy is an ideal platform through which to find an urn necklace, particularly if you want to give your money to an independent artist or if you want to find a designer who can make a custom urn necklace using your design ideas as a starting point.
Urn Necklaces: Keeping Loved Ones Close
Urns for ashes don’t merely need to take the form of large containers. Sometimes, people want the option of taking cremains with them wherever they go. These are just a few urn necklaces that will allow them to do so.
If you're looking for more types of cremation jewelry, read our guide on white gold cremation jewelry and cremation gemstones.