Choosing the Best Cremation Jewelry to Honor Your Loved One

How to Choose the Best Cremation Jewelry

After losing a loved one - whether it's a beloved fur baby, family member, or friend - you may be wondering what is the best way to honor and hold their memory close.

Cremation jewelry has become a popular way to memorialize a departed loved one. If you're not familiar with it, you may have a lot of questions like how these special necklaces work and whether wearing one is the best option for you.

I discovered urn necklaces for ashes about 7 years ago. I had lost my precious dog, Essie (you can read more about her here), and was seeking a way to keep her close.

Following her cremation, I received a small urn that, while very pretty, meant only having her with me when I was home. Because she has been my constant companion for 9 years, I wanted a way to keep her close all the time.

It was then that I discovered a special type of jewelry called cremation jewelry. You may also hear it referred to by other names like ashes necklaces, memorial pendant, and urn necklace.

Intrigued by these memorial pieces, I set out to find the perfect keepsake for my sweet girl. Fast forward all these years later and I'm happy to share the best cremation jewelry with you.

If you are just learning about this type of pendant, I will answer any questions you may have in this article.

What is Cremation Jewelry?

Cremation jewelry is a special type of necklace, bracelet, or ring designed to hold ashes (sometimes called cremains). But, not everyone uses them for this specific purpose.

You can also hold a bit of fur or lock of hair, a pinch of memorial dirt or graveside flowers. Limited only by size and imagination, you can use one to hold any tiny remembrance to keep your loved one close.

To choose the best cremation jewelry, you'll first want to decide exactly what type of remembrance you'd like to contain. Then, select a piece that will adequately serve that purpose.

What are Cremation Pendants Made Of?

These special pendants are made with a variety of materials. Here at Sarah & Essie, we specialize in stainless steel urn necklaces. We love steel for its durability, low risk of allergic reactions, and low maintenance.

Besides stainless steel, the most popular materials for a memorial keepsake are sterling silver, gold, and glass.

There are also some companies that specialize in turning ashes into jewelry by mixing a bit of the ash into another substance such as resin. This process can get quite expensive, so traditional ashes necklaces are the best cremation jewelry for most people.

How Much Does Urn Jewelry Cost?

The price for memorial necklaces varies greatly depending on what type and where you buy them. Prices can range from $30-40 to several hundred, even thousands of dollars.

Many funeral homes offer jewelry as an extra service when planning a funeral. Often their prices are higher than if you were to buy a cremation necklace online.

Similarly, if you purchase a 14K gold piece versus a similar one made of steel, you can also expect to pay a higher price.

What Types of Cremation Jewelry Are There?

There are many different kinds of urn jewelry from rings to ashes pendants.

There are pieces that are specifically intended to remember a special pet, a parent, grandparent, or child.

For urn necklaces, there are also different styles and shapes like heart-shaped urns, circles, or crosses.

If you have a lock of hair or fur from a pet, you may want to consider a cylinder-style urn that is hollow. Do you want to be able to see the contents? A glass memorial necklace may be a perfect choice.

No matter what your style or taste, there is likely a piece of unique cremation jewelry that will honor your loved one perfectly.

Is Cremation Jewelry Creepy?

Only you can answer this question!

In the many years I've been creating jewelry, I've found that there are some people that can't understand why anyone would wear ashes in a necklace. They think it's weird... and that's ok!

For many of us, keeping a loved one close to our heart by wearing an urn pendant is not only not creepy, but incredibly comforting.

While I don't believe that memorial jewelry can provide closure when we lose a special person or pet, it can help us through the grieving process. These special urns can help give comfort and peace knowing that we still have a part of our loved ones with us.

Are Urn Necklaces Waterproof?

Technically, most are waterproof, but it isn't advisable to shower with cremation jewelry.

Even when sealed with glue, chemicals in a pool or soap/shampoo used while bathing could damage it. The adhesive could become loose, which could result in loss of the pendant and/or remembrance contained within.

Additionally, water and chemicals can loosen the glue used to hold crystals or other embellishments. This can cause permanent damage to your jewelry.

For this reason, we strongly recommend that our customers remove jewelry before going into the water.

Can I Fly With Cremation Jewelry?

Yes, you can wear your pendant when traveling by air.

An important thing to note is that it's possible for any jewelry to set off the metal detectors. I've often had my watch cause the scanner to go off.

If you want to avoid the possibility of this happening, remove your necklace before going through the security checkpoint. You can place it in one of your carry-on bags, such as your purse, for safekeeping.

Once you've made it through the scanners, you'll be free to put it back on.

How to Fill Cremation Jewelry

How it's filled will depend on the specific jewelry you buy; but generally speaking, it's easy to fill your keepsake.

The cavity for ashes is protected by a screw or bail (loop with screw). The location varies, but is generally at the top, back or bottom of your urn.

You'll remove this protective screw and use a funnel to transfer a bit of ashes into the urn's special cavity.

All urn jewelry needs to be sealed with glue. Sealing your memorial ensures that the screw stays put and the ashes stay safely inside.

The best glues to use for this are jewelry glue or super glue. It's important to note that only a drop or two is needed. Don't overdo it, or you may have trouble putting the screw back in.

Nervous about filling your urn? Don't be! We include complete urn filling instructions and a filling kit with every order purchased at Sarah & Essie.

Most Popular Cremation Jewelry - As Voted by Customers!

Now that we've gone over the most common questions related to this special type of jewelry, you may be wondering how you'll ever narrow down which one is best for you.

Let's talk about the best cremation jewelry - as voted by our customers!

(Products are rated based on the number of sales for the year 2021!)

Best Pet Cremation Jewelry

For 3 years running, our No Longer By My Side, but Forever in My Heart Paw Print Urn Necklace has been picked as the favorite way to honor a loved fur baby. 

Saying good-bye to a pet is the most difficult thing we will ever do as pet parent. It is never easy, even when we know the day is drawing near. 

Sarah & Essie was founded after losing I lost my own special dog, Essie, and this pendant was the very first one I ever purchased and engraved for myself. 

This pretty pendant has a sweet quote on the front and features a crystal paw print in your choice of pink or blue crystals. 

It can be engraved on the back, as well, if you'd like to personalize it with your pet's name and/or a date. 

Best Urn Necklace for Men

Though we carry many wonderful styles of cremation jewelry for men, we've consistently found our Lord's Prayer Bullet Urn Necklace to be a popular pick. 

The black bullet-shaped urn features a cross on the front and the body of the bullet is encircled with the Lord's Prayer. It's a heavy pendant and we include a sturdy, 3mm box chain with it. You can opt for the chain length that works best for you. 

This special memorial keepsake is completely hollow so it makes a great choice for a man that wants to hold a lock of hair or a larger amount of fine ashes. 

Favorite Animals & Nature Inspired Memorial Jewelry

Our Lotus Flower Ashes Necklace is a bestseller not only in our Animals & Nature collection, but across all collections!

This beautiful stainless steel urn features a cage-style locket in the shape of a lotus flower. Within the flower is a hollow mini urn. 

This beauty is the perfect gift or remembrance for a member of the Buddhist faith or for someone that loved the beauty of nature. 

Because the urn is hollow, a larger portion of ashes can be held or opt for a lock of hair or fur or some dried flowers from the funeral arrangement. 

And there you have it: the top selling cremation necklaces as selected by our customers. 

I hope this article has been helpful in answering any questions you may have about choosing the best cremation jewelry and inspired you with our customer's top picks. 

If you have any lingering questions, please feel free to initiate a live chat during business hours or use the contact page to send us an email.