10 Of The Most Beautiful Things To Do With Loved One’s Ashes
Saying goodbye to a loved one is never easy. Whether the death is sudden or expected, those left behind will still have to go through the process of grieving. Finding a way to memorialise their loved ones properly is an excellent way to find closure and move on.
If your loved one is cremated, you’ll be given an urn of ashes. Most people don’t have a clue what to do with ashes. If you don’t want to leave the ashes on your mantelpiece, you’ll have to find a creative way to display the ashes or otherwise store them. These are ten of the most beautiful ways you can honour your loved one’s ashes.
Scatter them in a special place
Scattering ashes is probably the most popular way to say goodbye to a loved one. You don’t have to host a wake and have a lot of people present. Instead, you could scatter their ashes with just a few close loved ones present.
Unless you plan to scatter their ashes on private land, you shouldn’t need to ask for permission. However, if you’re going to a busy park or hiking trail, you might want to check with the local council.
You could also pay to install a bench at the site where you scatter their ashes so you’ll always have a place to sit and remember them.
Plant them with a tree
Planting a tree for your loved one is a great way to ensure their legacy lives on for generations to come. You could plant something strong and mighty like an oak tree or a fruit tree that will provide delicious fruit for generations to come. You could also plant something pretty and delicate, like a cherry blossom.
Whatever you choose, make sure you employ the assistance of a seasoned gardener to give your memorial tree the best chance of survival. It can be quite distressing for a family member to see their memorial tree fail after a few years.
Create memorial jewellery
Did you know you can have a loved one’s ashes turned into jewellery? This is an incredibly touching tribute that can help you to feel close to your loved one all the time. Ashes can be added to many different types of jewellery, including rings, necklaces and cufflinks.
The ashes can be contained in hidden compartments or incorporated into the jewellery with a glass gemstone. Our glass specialists take 3 days to turn memorial ashes into a stunning gemstone. Each stone is shaped, hardened and then polished to create a one-of-a-kind gemstone ready for a pendant setting.
This method will allow you to create a stunning family heirloom that can be passed down through the generations, bringing comfort to everyone who wears it.
Make a Christmas ornament
If your loved one was a particular fan of Christmas time, why not include them in the festivities every year? You could add your loved one’s ashes to a glass Christmas ornament that can be placed on the tree every year.
An engraved Christmas ornament is the perfect choice if you’re wondering what to do with ashes. It’s the ideal way to honour the memory of your loved one and allow them to feel present in your Christmas celebrations every year.
Add them to a coral reef
Anyone with a love for the ocean will love this concept. Coral reef balls are specially formed concrete structures that contain the ashes of a loved one. These become the foundation for a coral reef to grow, allowing your loved one to become one with the aquatic life.
This is a beautiful and fitting tribute to a loved one and is also great for the environment. With coral reefs under threat around the world, providing a man-made foundation for coral reef growth could help to restore marine habitats for future generations.
Add them to diamond jewellery
Man-made diamonds crafted from ashes are incredibly expensive. And at the end of it, you still have a man-made diamond which could be produced for a lot lower cost. Instead, our approach uses a secret compartment to store your loved one’s ashes beneath the diamond setting.
Our Secrets Collection includes a range of diamond jewellery to suit every taste and style, from stunning solitaire engagement rings to delicate diamond pendants. Diamond jewellery also retains its value, making it the perfect family heirloom that will be treasured for generations.
Add them to glass wall art
Ashes can be added to beautiful glass wall art sculptures to create a beautiful memorial to your loved one. To create our fused glass wall art, we take 200 individual pieces of glass and then arrange them into the desired design. After this, it's put into the kiln for 3 days to ensure optimal quality and strength.
Our Millenium Collection features flecks of copper, gold and silver throughout. No two pieces are the same and the ashes can be seen scattered throughout the design. Our Seascape collection is reminiscent of the ocean waves, with turquoise and blue shades.
Make a memorial keepsake
Memorials don’t have to be on display; they can also be very private. You could add the ashes to a glass or stone paperweight or include them in a small trinket keepsake. Your loved ones ashes can be contained in a glass pebble paperweight that you can keep close to hand at all times.
Ashes can also be added to small silver trinkets inside a hidden compartment. You could then create a memory box for your loved one and keep the trinket inside. This is ideal for helping young children to come to terms with the loss, as the process of making the memory box can be very cathartic. You can add pictures and other memories of the individual to the box, so it’s always available to take a trip down memory lane when you need it.
Add them to paint for a portrait
Specialist artists can add your loved one's ashes to paint and then use them to create a portrait. This makes a stunning and lasting tribute to your loved one that will no doubt become a treasured family heirloom.
Find an artist with a style you like, and then ask them more about their process. Some will work from a reference photo, while others will create a unique picture from a number of photos.
Set the ashes in fireworks
If you know your loved one would want to go out with a bang, what better way to honour their memory than having their ashes added to fireworks. Then all you have to do is choose a clear and dry night to host your own fireworks display.
This is ideal if you want to celebrate their life in a fun way, rather than feel you have to mourn their passing in silence. Fireworks make a bold statement and are the perfect addition to a memorial service.
These are just some of the ways you can memorialise your loved ones. Finding a creative use for their ashes doesn’t have to happen right after the funeral; you can take your time to find the right memorial for you and your family.
Since many of these methods only require a small amount of ashes, you don’t have to commit to just one thing. Different members of the family might decide they want to remember their loved one in different ways.
If you decide to scatter the ashes, it’s worth hanging onto a small amount of the ashes in an urn so that family members and friends can decide if they want to create a lasting keepsake later on. It can be difficult to make decisions when you are clouded by grief, so don’t be afraid to give yourself time to make the right choice.