Summary
While many people choose urns for the memorialization of their loved ones, smaller options, such as silver or Stainless photo jewelry or gold jewelry, are often powerful and valuable remembrance pieces, as well. Cremation jewelry has grown in popularity as an excellent way to memorialize loved ones and keep them close. This can help aid the grieving process, giving family members a sense of closeness and a nearby reminder that their loved one is still with them in their own way. Choosing a memorial piece that truly honors the legacy of your loved one can help you move forward after loss, and small keepsakes such as cremation jewelry can play a large part in that.
"To live in hearts, we leave behind is not to die
– Thomas Campbell
The loss of a loved one can be a profound experience, and as you move through that loss the goal often becomes memorialization and remembrance. Finding just the right way to do that can be difficult because you may need to decide between traditional options and what feels best to you.
Typically, a loved one's cremains are stored in a full-size urn, but the ways people choose to honor their loved ones are changing and evolving. Now, small keepsakes such as cremation jewelry are offering a more personal and meaningful connection than traditional urns. This makes them a valuable choice for anyone looking to keep a part of their loved one close to them.
The Traditional Role of Urns in Memorialization
Throughout history, urns have been used in many cultures as a way to honor the deceased. They're symbolically important in funeral practices and often displayed in the homes of the deceased's loved ones.
There are some practical challenges with full-size urns, including a lack of portability and display considerations. Not only that, but there are emotional aspects surrounding the use of an urn. Because it's kept in a fixed location you may feel distant from your loved one when you travel or are otherwise away from the urn for a period of time.
The Rise of Cremation Jewelry and Small Keepsakes
Cremation jewelry and keepsakes are becoming more popular than ever in modern memorial practices. With more than 60% of the population choosing cremation instead of burial, it's easy to see that options to house and memorialize the cremains of deceased loved ones will continue to be desired.
There are a variety of options with memorial keepsakes, such as pendants, rings, and bracelets. Additionally, there are different materials to choose from, so you can select something that reminds you of your loved one or fits the look you're searching for. Gold jewelry and photo jewelry are popular, but there are also silver and Stainless jewelry designs to choose from.
Personal Connection and Emotional Comfort
When you wear a piece of jewelry containing a loved one's ashes you can feel continuously close to that person throughout your life. This constant connection can offer a level of comfort and solace you may not feel with an urn sitting on your mantelpiece or a shelf in your home. You can touch the jewelry and be reminded of your loved one anytime, no matter where you are.
Not only is there comfort in cremation jewelry or keepsakes, but this kind of memorialization also helps with healing and acceptance. It can be hard to say goodbye to a cherished family member or friend, but having a way that helps you process that experience can make moving past it and focusing on the future less difficult. Studies show that holding onto "transitional objects of grief" can help process a loss more fully, allowing for increased closure over time.
Portability and Shared Remembrance
Carrying a small silver keepsake or wearing gold jewelry with a loved ones ashes inside can make it easier to keep that loved one close. Unlike a full-size urn, a small keepsake or piece of jewelry can go with you nearly anywhere. If you're moving to a new location and don't want to be without a tangible way to remember your loved one during the relocation, or you travel a lot for work or just for fun, you need a small item that carries a deep association to the person you've lost.
Smaller keepsakes and jewelry options also allow you to divide ashes, so several people in a family or friend group can have a small amount of ashes to honor and remember the deceased. There may be familial or cultural practices of shared remembrance through photo jewelry or other items that hold ashes and help with memorialization.
Discretion and Privacy
You may not want to draw public attention to your grief, and cremation jewelry is a valuable way to create a personal tribute that's understated but still acknowledges your loss. Other people who see your jewelry may not recognize the significance of it unless you tell them, so you can keep your feelings private or express them to others depending on your level of comfort.
Keepsakes can also be used as part of everyday routines that provide ongoing comfort and emotionally beneficial symbolism. You can customize your photo jewelry, keychain, necklace, bracelet, or other keepsake with gemstones, engravings, unique designs, and more. If you have specific symbols or materials that are extremely significant, incorporating them into your keepsake memorial can be a comforting choice.
Complementing Other Memorial Practices
Many people use keepsakes along with full-size urns or other memorials. For example, you can scatter the majority of a loved one's ashes in their favorite location while holding back a small portion for a necklace, ring, bracelet, or other item that holds ashes. That provides an additional option to fully honor your loved one and keep them close to you, and also gives flexibility when considering the needs and wishes of other family members.
Key Takeaways
While full-sized urns are common, smaller keepsakes can mean more when memorializing a deceased loved one.
Gold jewelry, photo jewelry, and silver or Stainless options help you honor someone you've lost and keep them close.
You can mix traditional and more modern choices when it comes to how you want to honor someone you've lost.
Choosing Small Keepsakes for Memorialization and Closeness
When you choose a memorial that truly honors your loved one's memory, you can work toward closure and peace. Carefully consider the form of remembrance that best aligns with your emotional needs and your loved one's legacy, and you'll choose the right keepsake to recognize them and increase your own peace.
A small keepsake can be more meaningful than a traditional urn due to the portability it offers. Not only that, but you can feel close to your loved one anytime, anywhere, when you carry a small amount of their ashes with you. Reaching out to touch your bracelet or feel the locket on your necklace reminds you that they're with you, always.
