People are becoming more and more creative with how they choose to memorialize themselves after death. As cremation becomes an ever more popular choice over burial for final arrangements, people now have more time and options than ever to create an interesting way to be remembered.
Some choose to have their ashes scattered in a specific spot. Others choose to tattoo the ashes into something meaningful. It’s even possible to become a part of what will be the world’s largest artificial reef through cremation. In this article, we will discuss the interesting choice to ditch the traditional cremation urn for an hourglass urn.
A cremation hourglass urn is simply an hourglass filled with the ashes of a loved one after they have completed the cremation process. The hourglass urns come in many colors and sizes with various themes, like a nautical theme. Initials or short messages may be engraved on the hourglass as well.
Hourglass urns come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from a large table-top hourglass and small pendants for jewelry. This allows flexibility in how much of the ashes is needed to complete the piece. A larger hourglass may be better suited for a single statement piece in a place the family spends its time together. A tiny hourglass pendant is better if multiple people wish to carry a piece of their loved one with them, especially if family members live far apart.
The installation of the ashes into the hourglass is covered in an instruction manual that comes with it. There is no requirement to send in a certain amount of ashes to a company. This allows the family to decide how much of the ashes they want to add and whether they want to mix it with another kind or color of sand. This also opens the opportunity to mix the ashes of two people into the hourglass urn without any issue.
The ashes are clearly visible through the glass, so the hourglass urn may not be the best choice of urn if the family is uncomfortable with the death or if seeing the actual ashes would cause distress. However, being able to see the ashes may also comfort friends and family as they can see that their loved one is with them.
The symbolic nature of the hourglass urn reminds loved ones that though time passes incessantly, friends and family will always be in our hearts.
If you wish to plan a cremation for yourself or a loved one, please contact the Neptune Society, and we will get back to you as soon as possible. As America’s most trusted cremation society, we are dedicated to providing the utmost in service at the time of need. To find a local office near you, please see our directory. If a loved one has passed away within the last 24 hours, please contact us immediately for assistance.
This article is part of our “What To Do With Cremation Ashes” series in which we intend to highlight the lesser known memorialization options available to our families. If you or a loved one is considering cremation, we at Neptune Society encourage you to consider carefully your own position on the memorialization and make the choice you believe is right for you and your family. For more articles in this series, please see our article archive.
