Cremation Urns Reflect Modern Trends

Modern funeral trends can also be seen in the array of unique cremation urns that are designed to reflect the personalities, lifestyles, hobbies and beliefs of the deceased whose ashes they hold. Although most people still envision a classic Grecian urn on a shelf when they think of cremation urns, choices now include motorcycle urns, religious urns, photo-frame urns, and tiny keepsake urns, to name just a few.

Cremation jewelry is another popular choice, designed to hold a tiny portion of ashes in a pendant that can be worn close to the heart. And some companies, like Memory Glass of Santa Barbara, create memorial jewelry from cremains, while others incorporate thumbprint impressions of the deceased in their creations.

A New Generation of Funeral Directors

Much of the credit for these novel trends in funeral goods and services belongs to a new generation of funeral directors, like Leo Dumont III and Andrew Hall, both of Nashua, New Hampshire. Both men earned degrees in other fields before going to work in their families’ funeral homes, while many other young adults who choose careers in funeral services have no family connection to the funeral industry. What these 20- and 30-somethings have in common are the fresh perspectives they bring to their work – innovative ideas that help to breathe new life into the funeral business.

Trinity Memorial Vessel

Memorial jewelry has come a long way since ornate brooches containing locks of hair from deceased loved ones were made fashionable by Queen Victoria in the late 1800s.

Today, cremation jewelry comes in almost countless styles, all designed to hold a tiny portion of cremated remains, burial earth or dried funeral flowers or a lock of hair. One popular example is the Trinity Heirloom Vessel, named for the distinctive triquetra symbol, or trinity knot, displayed on the pendant’s presentation box.

Designed and created by a professional jeweler, the Trinity Heirloom Vessel can be worn as a beautiful pendant or displayed in a glass-domed case. Contents are visible through three window panels around the cylinder, which will accommodate up to three lines of engraved text, with up to
15 characters per line.

Trinity Memorial Vessel

Each heirloom vessel comes with a 20-inch silver chain, instructions and a funnel to aid in placing the contents into the cylinder, which is enclosed by a threaded, dual-gasket seal. A general household glue or epoxy may be used to permanently seal the opening for additional security.