What are Keepsake Urns for Ashes?

If you have been browsing the internet, looking for cremation urns, you may have run across "keepsake urns for ashes." What are these? How do they differ from other cremation containers? There are actually many different types of urns for ashes. A quick overview of the various types will help you understand the differences.

How Keepsake Urns for Ashes Differ from Others

After cremation, a large volume of ashes remain. As a rule of thumb, for every pound of body weight, you should allow 1 cubic inch of space. While this is more than you will need, it ensures having enough volume inside of the vessel to easily hold all of the ashes. For example, if the body being cremated weighs 150 pounds, its ashes will require 150 cubic inches of storage space. The temporary container provided by a crematory measures 8" tall by 6" wide by 4.25" deep or approximately 204 cubic inches; large enough for most cremated remains. Most standard cremation urns hold this much interior volume or even more.

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Many people wish to bury the cremated remains of a loved one, scatter them at sea or at a special location or house them in a columbarium. However, they also may wish to hold on to a small portion of the ashes as a keepsake. This is where the term "keepsake urns" for ashes comes from.

Types of Keepsake Urns for Ashes

Because only a portion of the cremains (cremated remains) go into a keepsake urn, the creative scope for designers is enormous. Some of these urns may be small versions of the common vase shaped urn. Others are smaller box urns. Still others come in the form of jewelry.

Not everyone wants to display a large volume urn. Instead, they prefer a smaller urn that contains just a portion of the ashes of the deceased. Box urns are very popular for this, because the shape lends itself to so many uses. Some of these are fairly simple in design and act as photograph frames. Other box style keepsake urns for ashes include music boxes, sports boxes that resemble trophies, figurines and even miniature log cabins and doghouses.

There are also many exquisite porcelain keepsake urns for ashes. Some of the most popular are appropriate for remembering girls or women who pass away at a too-tender age are fairy and angel porcelain urns. The quality of workmanship on these vessels has to be seen to be appreciated. Other, equally beautiful porcelain urns include floral designs with seated figurines so lifelike and delicate they take the breath away.

Some keepsake urns defy conventional description. There are teddy bear "urns," miniature model car containers, children's wooden blocks and just about anything else you could imagine. These are designed to remind you of some aspect of the loved one that was most endearing to you or, in the case of infants and small children, of the preciousness of the short time you spent together.

Jewellery Keepsake Urns for Ashes

Judging from the enormous variety of cremation jewellery that is on the market, it is fair to assume that jewelry keepsake urns are the most popular. It is little wonder. What better way to keep someone close to your heart than to wear a small token of remembrance as a necklace or bracelet? Of these, pendants and lockets are the most plentiful and come in the largest varieties.

Gold and silver pendants and lockets are often indistinguishable from normal jewellery. The only difference is that they are hollow and can be filled with a small portion of cremated remains. This allows you to wear the jewellery proudly, anywhere you go, without anyone knowing the secret it contains inside. Many designs also have symbolic meaning. These include crosses, infinity circles, stars and angel's wings, among a host of other designs.

Gold and silver are not the only materials jewellery keepsake urns for ashes are made from. They are made from other metals as well, including stainless steel and pewter.

There are also many beautifully crafted wood, blue cobalt and glass pendants, as well as many others. Of course, these materials are often combined, creating stunning design effects.

One of the most beautiful things about keepsake urns for ashes is their versatility. If all the cremated remains go into one large cremation container, they remain there forever. If a portion of the remains are kept aside for keepsake urns, several family members can always have a token of remembrance. Cremation jewellery can accompany you wherever you go and if you wish to display it, you can purchase a beautifully handcrafted glass domed container to house the jewelry when you don't wish to wear it.

When you are looking for cremation urns, don't forget to consider keepsake urns for ashes. Even if you purchase a full-sized cremation urn, you will not regret having this small extra keepsake. You will treasure it for a lifetime and it may stay in your family for generations to come.