How durable is hand-crafted memorial glass compared to standard gemstones?

• ✓ Memorial glass is durable for everyday wear with sensible care and won’t yellow or shrink like resin.
• ✓ It’s more affordable than diamonds; choose glass for visible ashes flecks and colour variety.
• ✓ If you’re comparing with diamonds-from-ashes, see Memorial Glass vs Diamonds.

If you’re thinking about turning your loved one’s ashes into a beautiful glass gemstone, you would be right to think about how long this item is expected to last. This process is far cheaper than turning your loved one’s ashes into a lab-grown diamond – but how does the end result stack up?

In this guide, we’re looking at the lifespan of a glass gemstone compared with standard gemstones, including diamonds. By the end of this guide, you should have a much better idea of whether this is the right choice for your memorial keepsake.

What are glass memorial gemstones?

Glass gemstones are small pieces of molten glass that are shaped and then polished to perfection into small gemstones. These can then be set into jewellery settings such as pendants, earrings, rings and bracelet charms. Glass is a cost effective alternative to gemstones such as diamonds, rubies or emeralds. You can achieve a similar colour palette, but without the associated cost.

It’s also possible to add the ashes of a loved one into the molten glass so that it becomes part of the gemstone. With transparent glass gemstones, the ashes are visible as small flecks. It’s possible to add glittery shards to make this look even more magical.

Are glass gemstones durable?

Glass won’t be as durable as a genuine gemstone, but it is still much more durable than alternatives such as resin. Glass would be vulnerable to shattering if it is placed under considerable pressure, but you’re unlikely to face these conditions under everyday use.

The surface of the glass gemstone will also be vulnerable to scratches, but you can protect it by removing it before doing any activities that could damage the jewellery. Even real gemstones would be vulnerable to coming loose if you’re washing the dishes or doing some heavy cleaning, so it would make sense to protect the jewellery whether it’s a real gemstone or a glass gemstone.

Do glass gemstones last as long?

When it comes to the lifespan of your memorial keepsake, you don’t need to worry about it breaking down over time. With resin jewellery, it will eventually turn yellow and start to shrink, but this won’t happen to a glass gemstone.

If you take good care of your jewellery, there’s no reason to think that it won’t last a lifetime. Glass gemstones will have no resale value, but the value of these items is sentimental and not monetary.

The same could be said for lab grown diamonds made from human cremation ashes. The cost of producing these diamonds is far greater than the end value of the diamond. Again, the value is sentimental and not monetary.

Should I choose a glass gemstone?

Glass gemstones are far more cost effective than their genuine gemstone counterparts. While they might not have the same sparkle, they will contain the ashes of your loved one, which is far more important for those going through the grieving process and looking for comfort.

Memorial glass vs gemstones vs resin: at a glance

Next steps