July 22, 2026

Urns and Keepsakes: Why Are They Important & Common Options

Many of us have experienced the death of a loved one. When this happens, there are many important decisions that need to be made, including what type of casket (if they chose burial), or urn or keepsake (if cremation is chosen).

Why is an Urn Important?

An urn is an important part of honoring a loved one and creating that special memorial. Oftentimes, it is also an important step in the grief journey for all who love them.

Here are some key reasons why urns are important.

Closure: By placing a loved one’s ashes in an urn, it provides for a final resting place or, in some cases, the final vessel that will be used to scatter or bury their ashes. The act of filling an urn can provide a sense of some closure to many.
Practicality: Urns are an ideal way to secure a loved one’s ashes in a contained environment and can help reduce any risk of spilling.
Personality: With the rise in cremation, there are many different types of urns available today! You can choose to personalize the urn and also choose between various materials – the durability of a metal urn, longevity of a stone urn, or an eco-friendly biodegradable urn, among many others. Also, today there are urns made from a variety of materials and colors – be creative and think of what fits best with your loved one!
Encourage Healing: Selecting an urn can be a highly personal decision that can help family and friends heal. The urn chosen becomes their loved one’s memorial and can give many a comforting feeling. Also, if an urn such as The Living Urn is chosen as the memorial, family and friends can participate in the planting of the bio urn and tree, which can also encourage healing for some.
Placement: The placement of the urn is also important and there are endless options – choose one that fits with your loved one! Would they prefer to be placed in a niche at a cemetery, inside their home on the mantle or table, or buried or scattered at one or more places special to them? You can also choose to have some or all of the ashes of growing a memorial tree with The Living Urn, made into cremations stones or glass pieces, scattered at sea, or even taken to outer space!

In-Demand Urns in 2026

With the significant increase in people choosing cremation over the past few decades, many new and unique urns have been introduced. Some of the best-selling urns today include:

Biodegradable Urns – biodegradable or bio urns are the newest urn category that has really became popular over the past 5 to 10 years. This includes The Living Urn bio urn and planting system that gives you the ability to easily plant a tree with your loved one’s ashes. Additional popular biodegradable urn options include urns that are made of a eco-friendly material (like bamboo, wood, or recycled paper) that are used to bury or scatter ashes of a loved one.
Metal Urns – traditional metal urns remain a popular choice due to their durability and permanence. Many families prefer these when placed a loved one’s ashes in the home or in a niche at a cemetery. Engraving a loved one’s name, dates of birth and death, a sentiment and even a symbol or image is also popular. Metal urns today come in many different shapes (vase-shape, rectangular, etc.) and colors (blue, silver, red, green, purple, black, white, yellow, etc.).
Ceramic Urns – with modern day ceramics, there are many new creative urn options available made from clay. This includes a variety of unique shapes and glaze options. There are some companies that even make their artists available to make custom ceramic urns tailored to a loved one’s personality!
Wood Urns – traditional wood urns are still widely regarded as one of the most beautiful options available. Many wood urns express natural grains and make for a lovely presentation and final resting place for a loved one. Like metal urns, many of the wood options can now be engraved, making the wood urn even more special and personal.

Why are Keepsakes Important?

Like urns, keepsakes can be extremely important to a family when memorializing a loved one. Keepsakes carry the same reasons as urns about why they’re important (closure, practicality, personality, encourage healing, placement – as outlined above) with some additional reasons. These additional reasons include the following:

Flexibility: Because keepsakes typically only contain a small portion of a loved one’s ashes, each family member or friend can have their own special small memorial to remember a loved one by. This flexibility is important as it can let each person remember and honor the one they loved in a way they prefer.
Creativity: Keepsakes come in thousands and thousands of shapes, sizes and materials. There are cremation jewelry pieces that only hold a pinch of ashes, songbirds in brass, glass, or wood, stunning glass pieces that are infused with ashes, and cremation stones made with ashes, to name just a few. Keepsakes can even be something as simple as a homemade pouch or a can or bottle of their favorite drink – there is no “right” keepsake and it only depends on what is meaningful to you!

In-Demand Keepsakes in 2026

The number of keepsake options available have significantly increased over the past 5 to 10 years. This is due to the surge in families choosing cremation and those who want to have multiple memorials for a loved one. Some of the best-selling keepsakes today include:

Cremation Jewelry – this includes beautiful pendants, bracelets, and rings that can hold a small portion of a loved one’s ashes. There are thousands of cremation jewelry options available and many manufacturers, such as The Living Urn, have a curated collection of some of the more popular options.
Cremation Stones – these are available from multiple companies and are a great way to honor a loved one to make durable, tangible memorial pieces from their ashes. Living Stones is a unique cremation stone option that’s growing in popularity and only offers stones in keepsake quantities – 1, 3, 5, or 10 stones – all at reasonable price points.
Cremation Glass – like stones, there are multiple companies in the market producing cremation glass pieces. These mainly consist of certain glass shapes that have a small amount of ashes used in the production process. The Living Urn produces its Living Glass line - high quality glass hearts, orbs and touchstones in a variety of color options.
Songbirds – these are now available in versions made from wood, glass or brass and can be filled with a small portion of a loved one’s ashes. These beautiful songbird keepsakes are a peaceful reminder and wonderful way to honor a loved one in the home.

In summary, when a loved one passes, it is important to give their memorial and final resting place some strong consideration and use an urn or keepsake(s) that fits. There is no right or wrong answer and what’s important is that the memorial works for you, your family, and the loved one who has passed.