Guide to Unique & Beautiful Urns

Are you looking for a unique cremation urn to honor and celebrate the life of a one-of-a-kind person? Every person is unique and their cremation urn and memorial should represent their uniqueness and who they were. If you’ve been shopping around for a cremation urn and memorial ideas, but none of them feel right, you’re not alone as many find this to be a challenge. Below we’ve highlighted some of the most interesting and unique cremation urns available today. These urns are unlike anything else and are truly unique – they make beautiful memorials and should be something to consider as one may be that perfect fit for your loved one and their special memorial!

1. The Tree Urn

First on our list of unique and beautiful urns is The Living Urn’s patented bio urn and planting system. It comes with everything you need to grow a beautiful blooming memorial tree or plant from a special biodegradable urn holding your loved one’s ashes. Choose a tree from over 50 options narrowed down to the ones that grow best in your area – these are delivered directly to your doorstep 2-4 feet in height with robust root systems. Plant in your yard or at another special place of your choosing. Years from now family can sit under the shade of this beautiful memorial, share stories, sip coffee, read a book, or just sit and reflect.

2. The Indoor or Patio Living Urn

If you love the idea of growing new life from an urn holding your loved one’s ashes, but don’t have a special place to plant outside, consider The Living Urn Indoors/Patio. With this beautiful porcelain urn, you can grow a stunning houseplant or bonsai tree from the center – creating a special living memorial that’s truly unique.  It comes in three colors (white, celadon blue, and honey butter) and can be a great addition to your home, patio, or garden!

3. The Glass Urn

When it comes to unique urns, glass cremation urns provide a wonderful option as they are handmade and every piece is unique. Choose various colors, designs, and styles. They also come in various sizes - standard, small, keepsake, and companion urns. Hand-blown to perfection, unique glass urns can provide a beautiful memorial for a loved one. Check out Spirit Pieces for a number of beautiful glass urn options.

4. The Scattering Urn

According to the Cremation Association of North America, over 40% of the people who are cremated are scattered at one or more places with special meaning. However, even with the growing popularity of scattering, there aren’t a ton of scattering urn options available. One, in particular, that rises above the others is the Eco Scattering Urn, a highly unique urn made entirely from bamboo. This special urn is handcrafted and gives families the ability to scatter a loved one’s ashes with dignity and ease. It comes in multiple sizes, giving families the option to divide up one set of ashes into multiple smaller scattering urns, or include all of the ashes in a single scattering urn.

5. The Guitar Urn

Did your loved one love to play or listen to music? One of the most unique urns on this list is the Guitar Urn. Handmade from high-quality ceramic, this cremation urn is hand-painted and completed with a bronze finish. This unique urn can be placed on the wall or in a special place in the home such as the living room, music studio or above the mantle. The guitar urn measures about a foot tall and eight inches wide and makes it easy to remember and honor your loved one

6. The Burial Urn

The Eco Burial Urn is made entirely from bamboo, a strong construction material and renewable resource. This unique urn comes with a birch locking pin that secures the ashes inside of the urn. It also comes with a hand-sewn cotton bag, a great environmentally friendly way to store the ashes inside of the urn. It can be buried in the yard, or simply kept in the home. Since it’s bamboo, it engraves well and can be personalized with your loved one’s name, a symbol, and a sentiment or other information of your choosing.

7. The Water Urn

Did your loved one love the water? Did he or she have a passion for fishing, surfing, swimming, sailing, or just viewing the beauty of the ocean? If so, the Eco Water Urn could be the perfect way to memorialize them. This unique urn floats upright like a buoy for up to a few minutes until the bottom of the urn breaks open and gracefully frees their ashes in the water below. It comes packaged in a bamboo case – a great way to transport the urn to that special place on the water for a ceremony.  In addition, special messages can be written on the urn itself and the bamboo casing can be engraved with your loved one’s name, a symbol, and sentiment.

8. The Brass Urn

This is a more traditional type of urn than many listed above, but provides sheer beauty and can be extremely decorative. With a quick internet search, you can find brass urns in different shapes, decorative designs, and colors. Find a unique and beautiful brass urn that best fits the personality of your loved one!

9. The Wood Urn

Similar to brass urns, wood urns are also more traditional urns that are kept in the home. There are thousands of wood urns available online with many also offered at your local funeral home. These are made from dark or light woods (or a combination of both) and many companies offer the option of engraving the wood with an image and your loved one’s name, sentiment and other information.

10. The Plant Urn

If you love the idea of a wood urn, but want to take it a step further, consider the PlantUrn. This unique urn is made from recycled hardwoods and comes with a small pot on top where you can plant and grow a beautiful succulent. The top of the urn is secured to the bottom with embedded rare earth magnets and it comes standard with a hand sewn cotton bag that the ashes can be kept in inside of the urn.

11. The Ceramic Urn

Ceramic has been used to make cremation urns for centuries and has been considered one of the more traditional urn options. However, in recent times, companies have been getting more creative with ceramic to make urns in different shapes, designs, and combination of colors. With a quick internet search, multiple ceramic urn options can be found.

12. The Ice Urn

Arguably the most eco-friendly of all urns, Flow the Ice Urn is made entirely from a block of ice!  It glistens in the sun as it floats on top of the water for a short period of time until the bottom of the urn begins to dissolve, allowing the ashes to be freed into the water below.

13. Jewelry Keepsakes

Many families are now choosing to keep some or all of their loved one’s ashes in jewelry keepsakes and keep them around the home or wear them with pride!  As a piece of cremation jewelry only holds a small amount of ashes, this can be in addition to another urn or you can opt for multiple pieces of jewelry and include all of the ashes.  Most cremation jewelry and cremation pendants can be customized with your loved one’s name and other information engraved on the side.

14. The Teddy Bear Urn

Teddy Bear Urns are plush and therefore soft to the touch, just as a teddy bear should be. They can be cuddled or set on a shelf or shelf or dresser for display. Most of them are also personalized with a ribbon or other marking. Included on the bear is an inner pouch for holding ashes or other items.

15. The Stone Urn

Stone has been used to create urns and vaults for centuries and is one of the strongest (and heaviest) materials available.  Urns made from stone are some of the highest quality and create a more permanent feeling. These can come in solid colors and also marbleized and polished. Most stone can be engraved, however, if that is not an option with one you’re interested in, some families opt for an engraved brass or metal plate to be attached to the urn.