Thanks to space constraints, shifting religious attitudes, and environmental concerns, cremation and funerary urns are becoming more popular as an alternative to traditional burials. Whereas interment requires an expensive coffin and cemetery plot, cremation costs less, requires no land, and provides an easy, accessible way for survivors to remember the deceased.

Cremation also allows for a dizzying array of options when it comes to providing a final resting place for the ashes. Besides being shot into space, buried at the bottom of the sea, compressed into a diamond, or incorporated into any number of different goods, the ashes of a loved one can also be stored closer-to-home, allowing the memory (and presence) of the deceased to live on. As many ways as there are to dispose of the ashes, there are methods for storing and preserving them. How can you navigate this explosion of options? What urn best suits you and your loved one’s final wishes?

Keepsake Urn

These urns are designed to be small so that a single individual’s remains are split among several, allowing each urn owner to keep a small part of the deceased. This choice is popular with family or friends who live far away but still want a physical token of the departed. This variety can be made from a wide selection of materials.

Biodegradable Urn

Usually made of materials like mulberry bark, organic compost, blocks of salt, or newsprint, these containers break down after years in nature, providing the most eco-friendly option for individuals concerned with their environmental footprint.

Companion Urn

Bought in pairs, these urns hold the remains of a couple wishing to commemorate their lifelong love as they enter the hereafter. Like Keepsake urns, they are made from just about any material.

Picture Urn

Made out of wood, these containers are basically large, deep-set picture frames that feature a hidden compartment behind the photo containing the remains of the departed. Picture urns are a great way to pay tribute to the memory of the deceased in a way that’s visible for all to see.

Fossil Urn

Fossil urns are made out of a wood substrate covered with fossil-bearing rock formations like sandstone or shale. Fossil urns are a beautiful way of incorporating a sense of life and natural history into your end-of-life planning.

No matter your inclination, the world of funerary urns offers a panoply of different styles, sizes, shapes, and possible materials – making for an almost endless number of possibilities. Whatever you decide, Smart Cremation is there to assist you in every step of the cremation planning process.