The Importance of Keepsakes to Memorialize a Loved One

When a loved one dies, it can be very meaningful to keep a part of their ashes as a keepsake. Most families choose some sort of final resting place for their loved one’s ashes, however, choosing a small portion of the ashes to keep as a keepsake is increasingly common for families who opt for cremation. Additionally, these keepsake urns can be used to hold other items, such as a lock of hair, a bit of soil from the grave, or small keepsake items like buttons or pins from the loved one’s clothing.

Cremation Keepsake Options

With the rise of cremation and a significant increase in families looking for unique options for their loved one's memorial, there are thousands of different cremation keepsake options that are now available. 

Below we highlight some of the more popular options:

• Cremation Jewelry - perhaps the most popular style of cremation keepsakes. Small pendants are created in brass, steel, or sterling silver, and each holds a nominal amount of cremated remains. These pendants are made like traditional jewelry and can be worn whenever desired by the family. Options for keepsake jewelry abound, from birthstones and modern pieces to traditional locket styles and small vials with engraved details.

• Miniature Urn - one type of keepsake is a miniature sized urn. Often chosen due to its matching of the full-size urn that is holding a loved one’s ashes, the miniature urn is a perfect and simple way to keep a small portion of a loved one’s remains. Typically, these can be engraved and can be kept in the home or easily portable should it be desired to travel with the miniature urn.

• Heart Keepsake - other, more discreet options are also available. For instance, many families choose a heart shaped keepsake that holds a portion of their loved one’s remains. Keepsake hearts hold a small portion of the remains and are placed beneath a securely threaded cover at the bottom of the heart. These lovely keepsakes can be engraved and are perfectly sized to fit in the palm of the hand making a meaningful and beautiful keepsake memorial.

• Songbird Keepsake - one of the increasingly popular keepsake styles is the brass or glass songbird. Crafted to look like a miniature bird, the songbird keepsake holds a small portion of the ashes. Birds have long been associated with remembering loved ones and the endurance of the Spirit after death. It is said that birds are the messengers between the Spirit world and our own. Brass Songbird keepsakes are available in four beautiful colors to help families remember their loved ones with a comforting keepsake - a message from Beyond of love and memory. Glass songbirds are available in warm amber, cool azure blue, or handsome onyx – each with the charm and beauty of glass with variegated hues and striations.

• Glass Keepsakes - handmade glass pieces in the shape of orbs, stones, and hearts are also increasingly popular. These stunning one of a kind works of art are infused with the loved one’s ashes, becoming part of the glass and creating a matchless keepsake memorial. These beautiful round decorative pieces of glass infused with a small portion of the loved one’s ashes are created in vibrant colors of blue, green, orange, and white. This keepsake on a prominent shelf in the living room, in a windowsill to see light shine through it, on your nightstand, or any other special place creates the perfect keepsake to reflect love and light. In addition to glass orbs that incorporate a small portion of the remains, small orbs are a keepsake option as well. These hold a small portion of the remains rather than incorporate them into glass. This is a faster option for those families who want to have keepsakes in time for a service or who simply do not want to wait for the time it takes to create the traditional orb keepsakes. Beautiful glass touchstones are another keepsake option families can choose. Living Glass Touchstones are beautiful pieces of glass about the size of a silver dollar that are infused with a small portion of a loved one’s ashes. These are a perfect complement to the full-size urn, and if desired one can be given to each member of the family or friends. They are pocket-sized and families can keep them in their possession or put them in a special place to remember a special person.

• Crystal Memory Keepsake Candles - another beautiful keepsake option. These small containers hold a keepsake portion of the remains and have space either at the top or within to hold a small tealight candle. This can be the traditional candle or small electric tealights can be used if a lighted candle is not preferred. These types of keepsakes can easily add a small bit of ritual and ceremony to remembering a loved one – lighting a candle and recalling their memory in quiet times to honor their life and meaning.

• Cremation Stones - a unique option that's growing in popularity, cremation stones make for beautiful keepsakes. These 'stones' incorporate a portion of a loved one's ashes and can either look like river rocks with a solid appearance, or be made from glass.  

Whatever the family chooses, a keepsake urn or sculpture will be a lovely reminder of a life loved and lived – keeping a loved one close and cherishing their memory in a personal way for each family member.