Stainless Steel Cremation Jewelry - A Detailed Guide

The passing of a loved one comes with an array of challenging and difficult emotions and decisions. Make one decision easy by choosing a piece of stainless steel cremation jewelry to honor their memory. Having a tangible part of your departed loved one close by is soothing to many people. Comfort yourself and others close to the one you lost with a beautiful piece of jewelry made of high quality stainless steel that holds a small portion of your loved one's ashes.

Stainless Steel: Why is it Used for Cremation Jewelry?

Stainless steel is an alloy, or mixture, of iron, chromium, and carbon. Sometimes other metals like nickel are added to stainless steel. Stainless steel is non-corrosive, meaning it doesn’t react to things like water, skin, or other metals. It’s also very hard, making it tough to scratch, and it can be polished to a bright mirror finish. Widely used across industries like food and beverage production and the chemical and energy industries, stainless steel is used to make things like cutlery and medical tools. It’s also a popular choice for jewelry because of its beauty and toughness. And, unlike silver, stainless steel doesn’t tarnish. It’s also hypoallergenic, making it a perfect choice for sensitive skin. 

Stainless Steel Cremation Jewelry and Keepsake Examples

One common stainless steel cremation jewelry piece is a round pendant with a window in the front and a place to fill with ashes in the back. Another option is a hollow pendant that can be filled with a small portion of your loved one’s ashes. These pendants also come in many shapes, sizes, and styles, making stainless steel cremation jewelry a good choice for everyone. 

A beautiful yet unisex option is the Living Urn’s (creators of the BioUrn, which grows a memorial tree with your loved one’s cremation ashes) stainless steel cremation pendant. It’s a slim, stainless steel cylinder that contains a small glass vial you can fill with your loved one’s ashes. This is a multi-purpose pendant. Wear it like a necklace on a stainless steel chain, or keep it close as a key ring.  

If you’re looking for a stainless steel cremation keepsake, a keepsake urn is an attractive option. A stainless steel keepsake urn is a timeless piece; it will retain its beauty with minimal care and is a sturdy material that will keep your loved one’s remains safe and sound. 

Personalizing Stainless Steel Cremation Jewelry

Stainless steel is easily personalized because of how strong it is. Engravings will appear crisp and fine for as long as you have the jewelry. The Living Urn’s stainless steel cremation pendant features a unique personalization option for the coordinates of your loved one’s resting place. If your loved one wanted their remains turned into a tree, you can capture the coordinates of their resting place on your smartphone and have them etched into the stainless steel pendant. Another common way to personalize stainless steel cremation jewelry is to engrave your loved one’s name, initials, or dates of birth and death. If there’s space, some people like to add a sentiment, a piece of scripture, or something their loved one used to say. Think short and brief; even a large piece of stainless steel cremation jewelry is relatively tiny. 

Filling Your Stainless Steel Cremation Jewelry with Ashes

Stainless steel cremation jewelry will come with a small kit for filling it with some of your loved one’s ashes. (Some people choose to fill their cremation jewelry with dirt or water from where their loved one was laid to rest; it’s entirely up to you.) While it is a straightforward process, it may be emotional. That’s ok; you love the person you lost, and grief is the only sensible response to loss. 

Take time with this task to ensure that nothing breaks or spills; these accidents happen more easily if you’re distracted. Ask someone for help if you need it—even having someone in the room for this process can be helpful. Or, if you can’t bear to handle the ashes, which is understandable, this person can take on that task. Do put children to bed, and if you have curious pets, you might want to put them outside or in another room while you work. 

Lay a smooth cloth on a clean counter or table and gather your cremation ash, stainless steel cremation jewelry, and the filling kit. Read any provided instructions carefully. Have the cremation ash container open and ensure the ash is easily accessible. Open your cremation jewelry and place the small funnel into the mouth of the opening. Using a spoon, carefully scoop ash into the funnel until the pendant or vial is full. You may need to tap excess ash back into the original container gently. Close up the cremation ashes and wipe any ash off your jewelry. Toss that cloth in the wash and use paper towels to clean up any remaining ash. 

Caring for Stainless Steel Cremation Jewelry

This might surprise you, but silver polish is the number one thing to avoid with stainless steel cremation jewelry. Your best bet? Water, soap, and a microfiber cloth. You want to avoid submerging a cremation pendant in water (please take it off before you shower or swim), so dampen part of the microfiber with warm soapy water and rub your jewelry clean. Dampen another part of your microfiber in water and wipe away the soap residue. Buff your stainless steel pendant with the dry part of your cloth.