Marble Urns for Ashes

As hard as it is to believe, many people are just now coming around to the idea of urns for ashes.  Today, people are deciding to be cremated after they die, which is a far cry from just a decade ago. The idea no longer seems strange or unnatural, and being cremated saves family members thousands of dollars on funeral costs.  Cremation urns for ashes are beautiful, and come in some of the most exquisite styles and designs you could imagine.

Preserving the environment has become a topic that is near and dear to many people.  When you think about it, there are probably tens of thousands of acres on earth that are filled with caskets that will be there forever.  Urns for ashes take up considerably less space, and many are even biodegradable.  This is another reason many are turning to cremation instead of traditional burial.  There are even urns for ashes available that are perfect for traveling to a special area that your loved one was especially fond of, so that you can scatter their cremains over land or water.

Ostia Antica, the harbour city of ancient Rome, is an abandoned city that was once a port sitting on the edge of the Tiber River.  Over the years, the river has receded.  The necropolis is where those who once lived in Ostia buried the dead, which were often cremated and the ashes placed in urns.  These urns were then placed in to small arches that were carved out in the walls that surrounded the city.  Placing loved ones remains in a memorial  is a practice that has gone on for as long as history goes back.

Today, urns for ashes are created with decorative purposes in mind as well as for burial.  Many people make the decision to keep their urns and display them in their homes.  Many look like any other decorative piece you would use to display in your home, and no one but you would realize it was an urn.  Why would someone want to keep an urn in their home?  For one thing, if you ever move you never have to be far from where a loved one is buried, which is a concern with traditional burial.

There are many different reasons that people are making alternative choices when it comes to the remains of a loved one.  Cremation is very natural, as the human body form returns to ashes instead of decomposing for hundreds of years under the ground.  Whether buried or cremated, the spirit or soul is separate from the physical body.  Today, there are literally thousands of choices when it comes to choosing cremation urns for a loved one. Many of these choices can be found at your local funeral home. But everyday more people are looking to make these kinds of purchases on the internet.

Cremation urns serve a dual purpose, they not only a form of preservation of everlasting memories, but are also beautiful pieces of art that you can display in any corner of your home or garden. There are several urns that one can choose from that could be the perfect commemoration of your loved one, it could be keepsakes in the form of beautiful glass, metal or ceramic jewelry, or other forms of urns that are definitely meaningful.

There are several urn manufactures and artists who provide customized urns that are quiet unique and personal depending upon the family’s traditions or customs. It is therefore now possible for those who are looking at following family traditions of continuing with the same shape, size or form of customized urn when it comes to preserving keepsakes.

These customized urns are normally created and manufactured by well known artists and manufactures that can also make customized urns and cremation jewelry well in advance. There are several materials that one can choose from, also there are several designs that are appealing and which could be the prefect reminder of your loved one.

Some of these customized urns are in the form of stone inlays. Here the artisans engrave the name of the deceased on the particular urn that is chosen. This is an excellent way of decorating the urn and customizing it. No two urns that are customized accordingly are identical. And since stone is particularly unique, the grains and its texture give it an added customized effect. The stone can also be chosen at the manufacture or you can even give the artisan a particular stone as per your desire. Apart from engraving the name on stone, engraving names with pieces of gold or another material can also be done on wood urns.

With skilled artisans your customized urn can also be created within 24 hours time. Although there are special artisans for ceramic urns, stone urns etc, it is quiet possible now with several websites that offer to customize urns according to ones requirement. They are all exquisitely beautiful and can adorn any part of the home and to be shared with close family and relatives.

Customized urns are a unique and special way of preserving a few remains of your loved one for generations. They can also be made according to the personalities or activity that the deceased loved the most for e.g. a football, motorcycle or even a plane. These customized urns can also be created according to the price range that you want and is a long lasting beautiful presentation that will bring back enchanting memories.

However, when you are searching for a cremation urn, you will know that an urn is not just an urn. There are many kinds of urns for cremation out there, and this classification is not based solely on the materials of which the memorial was made. Listed here are the five most common types of these cremation urns.

1. Artistic urns.  Artistic urns are one-of-a-kind urns that are handmade by master craftsmen. They are highly prized for their individuality and uniqueness; even though such urns may have been made from the same design, no two of them will look exactly alike. This is why these cremation urns are highly prized and cost just as highly.

2. Keepsake urns. Keepsake urns are generally smaller than your regular cremation urns. They are perfect for families that are scattered far and wide and whose members would like to keep a portion of the cremated remains of their loved one with them. As thus, each family member gets to have some of the ashes and keeps them in these smaller urns.

3. Religious urns. Religious urns are cremation urns that depict religious images or symbols, such as the cross, angels, the half-moon or the Star of David. These urns are appropriate for people who have led devoutly religious lives or who wish a return to their faith upon their death.

4. Themed urns. Themed urns are special, usually custom-made cremation urns that picture a somewhat whimsical design, such as animals, a kind of sport, a kind of hobby (such as motorcycles) or some other type of interest. These urns are great for conveying what kind of person the deceased was when he or she was still alive. For example, if the deceased loved basketball, his or her family members can get a themed urn with a basketball motif in which to store his or her ashes.

5. Special purpose urns. Some types of cremation urns serve more specific purposes aside from as a container for ashes. There are urns that are meant to be buried in the ground. There are teddy bear urns that are supposed to serve as sources of comfort to alleviate grief. There are also infant and child urns that are supposed to hold the remains of a deceased child.

As you can see, a cremation urn is more than just an urn.  There are many kinds and each kind is somehow different from the others. Being aware of these types of cremation urns can help you later on when choosing the right urn for a loved one, or even for yourself. Thank you for reading and I hope this has given some good information about your memorial options.