Whether it be a unique location, a fancy dress code or just a decorative coffin, non-traditional funerals have been on the rise for some time. However, creating a unique farewell for yourself or your loved one needn’t be limited to the funeral service itself, with unique ideas for storing your loved one’s cremated ashes
Whereas unique burial options are usually limited to a bespoke coffin design or unusual burial location, when it comes to cremation, there are countless ways in which you can honour your loved one’s memory. While scattering ashes is often a popular way to have your loved one go out on a high note, it is understandable that some people will feel the need to store their loved one’s ashes in one way or another.
Luckily, urns are not the only way in which your loved one’s ashes can be stored and displayed. If you are looking for a more specific and unique memento to carry the memory of your loved one, there is an option out there for everyone, no matter what your tastes.
Jewellery for Cremated Ashes
Jewellery is, for many people, far more than a fashion statement. It has had cultural, symbolic or emotional significance for thousands of years, especially when it comes to mourning.
Though the custom of wearing traditional “mourning jewellery” has perhaps decreased in the last few hundred years along with the idea of a formal mourning period, many of us will still be familiar with the romantic image of keeping a picture of a deceased loved one inside a locket. Unlike our Victorian ancestors, however, we are now able to physically keep our loved ones with us in the form of jewellery.
There are usually two options when deciding on jewellery for cremated ashes. The first method involves placing tiny amounts of your loved one’s ashes inside a piece of existing jewellery (such as a locket or a ring) in the same way that you would carry a picture with you. The jewellery item will be sealed so you can rest assured that the ashes will remain secure.
The second method involves ashes mixed with the actual materials used to construct the jewellery. This means that rather than wearing the ashes of your loved one around your neck, they could quite literally be turned into a gemstone.
Necklaces are a particularly popular jewellery item for cremated remains, as it ensures your loved one is close to your heart at all times. Items such as these can also be passed down to younger generations as heirlooms and help create an even greater connection to family history and memory.
Cremated Remains as Tattoos
Memorial tattoos have been popular for quite some time and it is not uncommon for both tattoo enthusiasts and first-timers alike to choose to dedicate a particular design to a deceased loved one.
However, for some, a traditional tattoo may not be a personal enough dedication to their loved one. Including your loved one’s ashes into the tattoo ink itself has become a new and unique way for people to keep their loved ones as close to them as possible. Tattoos can already be a deeply personal form of self-expression and choosing to have a loved one’s ashes tattooed on their skin can be the perfect way to honour their memory.
Storing your loved one’s ashes within your very skin may not be a method for everyone, but it can be an extremely artistic and creative way of immortalizing someone important to you. Similarly to a piece of jewellery, it is also a good way to ensure that no matter where you are, your loved one will always be with you.
Cremated Remains as Music
Music does not have to be an important part of the funeral service itself. These days, your loved one can quite literally become music after they are gone by having their ashes pressed into a vinyl record. Whatever your background, religious beliefs or even personal tastes, everyone can relate to music in one way or another and so there are few ways to immortalize your loved one that is more personal than creating music from their memory.
After all, music has the ability to capture a time and a place, inspire the imagination and transport us to other worlds. In some ways, music is a living, breathing thing all on its own that connects people. In that way, choosing to create a vinyl record with the ashes of your loved one can almost give them a second life.
Vinyl records do not have to be limited to playing music, however. When creating your record, you can have it tailored to create any sound you want, whether that’s a voice recording or, ambient sounds or just static noise. Vinyl art can also be custom made to ensure that you have the perfect keepsake for your loved one’s ashes.
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Knowing where or how to store your loved one’s ashes can seem like a daunting and difficult decision, especially when you are still in the process of grieving. Keeping ashes in personal items can sometimes aid in the grieving process and give you a sense that your loved one is still close to you.
Of course, it is important to remember that with most personal items or artwork that is created using cremated ashes, only a tiny amount is usually needed. This means that you will still be able to the remainder of your loved one’s ashes in a more traditional way should you or other members of your family wish.
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We are a family-led funeral directors in Essex since 1958.
Please contact us at any of our four funeral homes, Harold Hill, Hainault, Harold Wood, Collier Row, for any queries, support or advice regarding the funeral planning process.