Cremation Urns

Many people, when they think of cremation urns, will likely conjure up visions of the traditional, classic "Grecian urn" that John Keats made famous in his classic poem "Ode to A Grecian Urn." But that classic "urn like" style is just the start. For many people the elegance and eternal intelligence brought forth in the Grecian urn design will be the perfect memorial tribute. But, for multitudes of others, the traditional style is simply too bland. Fortunately, the 21st century memorial industry has evolved to the point in which there are literally thousands of choices for cremation urns. Here is just a small summary of some of what's available to perfectly memorialize your loved one.

Marble Cremation Urns give the comforting feeling that the deceased ashes will be protected for centuries. Marble Urns start off as limestone rock and are then grinded and polished. They are shaped two different ways: one style is it is turned on a fast spinning lathe. And, with another style, two pieces are machine fabricated from marble tiles then glued together to make an urn. Some examples of marble urns are “Fossiltone”- which is hand turned on a lathe and polished, “Orient Marble”- fabricated from light green onyx, and “Granite” - composite stone made from granite and quartz. All are available in many different shapes forms and colors to choose from.

Another type cremation urn is the bronze urn which is manufactured using either lost wax sand or standard casting techniques. These urns are an alloy made of copper and zinc or tin which is used for sculptured bronze urns. Cast bronze urns are made in a cast where liquid bronze is put in. The two main types of bronze urns are called “Sculptured Bronze Urns” or “Cast Bronze Urns.” There are many different styles and shapes to choose from in an urn such as the traditional look or solitary box. An urn can be shaped into a couple or a man/woman with a dog or a lighthouse. Images of animals are a popular choice for bronze cremation urns: a frog, eagle, swan, fish or squirrel.

Yet another type of cremation urn is the wood urn. Many of these urns use exotic or rare wood from a foreign country where they have vacationed even though this is a special way it is not necessary. More common wood can also be used, of course, such as oak, mahogany, walnut and cherry wood. Wood cremation urns are among the most unique urns just for the fact that the manufacturing process is the most varied of any other urn. One of the most popular of wood urns is made from cherry wood and is personalized with a photo of the deceased. Many wood cremation urns are personalized with handmade adornments. Often Wood Urns are handmade, but elegant pieces are also carved using a machine and then hand finished.

Religious urns are a common cremation urn to use when you are unsure of what kind of urn you want or what type of style. They are often crafted with heavenly scenes such as scenes with angels, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Footprints in the Sand, doves, bible verses and praying hands.

Glass cremation urns are another popular choice. These pieces are typically is made of transformed sand through a heating process that goes from it being grainy to a metallic looking solid and has many of the same properties of a liquid. The urns are hand blown and made to fit the personality of the person who has passed on.

Metal cremation urns are some of the sturdiest you can buy. These pieces are made from some of the toughest man-made materials on earth: iron, steel, cooper, brass or other such metals. Some popular metal urns to choose from are: “Antique Copper Urn” made from cast brass, “Silverado Metal Urn” made from spun pewter with an enameled metallic finish, “Rugged Cross Steel Urn “made from pure steel.

The Cloisonne urn is the perfect cremation urn for memorializing anyone's personality. These pieces are fashioned into an array of colors, styles and designs, and building them requires great artisan skill from a craftsman thoroughly familiar with the ancient art of cloisonne.

The most tragic but also necessary cremation urn made in the memorializing business is the infant and child urn. These beautiful pieces can be decorated into playful child like scenes. For example, a typical looking traditional urn can have a teddy bear or baby bunnies added to them in order to become the perfect tribute to a lost child. Or they can be shaped into a heart, baby booties, ABC blocks or a praying cherub.

Keepsake cremation urns allow ashes to be divided up between siblings or family members instead of buying a full size urn. Sometimes the ashes are scattered and a small part is kept back, which is why the keepsake urn can be a good choice. Marble, bronze or wood can be used to make keepsake cremation urns.

Sports and hobby urns are very popular cremation urns. These urns capture what the deceased person loved to do in their spare time before they passed away. These urns are available in such as scenes of people fishing, hunting, hiking or deer frolicking through a forest. Golf, football and baseball can also be memorialized into an Urn; or hobbies such as racing, motorcycles or skiing.

The perfect memorialized cremation urn for patriotic soldiers or those who may have been casualties of war is the military and veteran urn. There is a cremation urn for every branch of the military like the navy, coast guard, Marine Corps, army, air force. These urns can have eagles, flags and other patriotic signee adhered to them.

Biodegradable urns are becoming hugely popular. These environmentally friendly cremation urns are typically used for scattering ashes at the sea or on land. The paper construction keeps the ashes from being scattered haphazardly by the wind. The Aqua Shell Biodegradable Urn, for example, is engineered to float for five minutes before descending to the bottom of the sea and breaks down naturally over time. These cremation urns typically include a water soluble plastic bag which dissolves once in water. They are hand made using old paper making techniques. The structural breakdown for water urns usually takes one to two days depending on the type of water. For land burial the breakdown takes a year or less depending on the climate.

There are many different types, styles, shapes and colors to choose from when picking a cremation urn, and the memorializing business has came a long way in providing these pieces in recent years.