Glass ashes infused jewelry: Everything you need to know about the unique cremation keepsake

The death of a loved one is a very confusing and painful time. Struggling with intense feelings of loss, sadness, and bewilderment is perfectly normal during this raw, emotional stage and it’s something you need to go through before the healing can begin.

One thing which provides many people with a comforting sense of solace and peace is having a physical object they can touch that reminds them of the person they miss so much. An item many people choose to honor someone special is ashes infused jewelry made from glass. This graceful keepsake gives people in mourning the meaningful connection to their loved one they’ve been craving. 

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What is glass ashes infused jewelry?

Ashes infused jewelry is a personal ornament made with the cremated remains of someone who’s passed on. This type of cremation jewelry comes in many forms and is made using a variety of materials. Because of its low cost, high availability, useful versatility and simplistic beauty, glass is a common material used to make cremation jewelry.

Cremation glass jewelry often features a large bead made of glass which is placed inside a beautiful setting. This meaningful keepsake is unique in the world and provides the wearer with a sense of peace and closeness to the person they lost.

How is memorial glass jewelry made?

There are a few different ways to turn cremation ashes into glass jewelry. Each method creates an exquisite piece of jewelry with a genuinely exclusive look and composition. Here are two of the most popular ways of integrating cremation ashes in glass jewelry:

Cremation balls made from ashes

This type of cremation glass jewelry is made by melting glass to over 2,000℉ until it becomes a liquid. A small amount of ashes are then stirred into the molten glass, fusing the two elements together. After this stage, the mixture is formed into the desired shape and left to cool. The result is a stunning glass ball speckled with the ashes of a loved one.

Cremation balls made from new glass can be turned into any color, while cremation balls made from recycled glass have a slight green tint. Both are equally charming and transform the ashes so they look like they’re floating on the breeze.

Glass layered with ashes

Another common way of turning cremation ashes into glass jewelry is by layering the ashes in between two pieces of glass. A bright and colorful piece of dichroic glass forms the bottom later. This special type of glass displays different colors as light shines upon it, creating an ethereal look.

A small amount of ashes are then swirled on top of the dichroic glass and a clear piece of glass is placed on the top. The entire piece is placed inside a kiln until both pieces of glass have fused together, encasing the ashes forever. The result is an incredible piece of cremation jewelry with a visible swirl of ashes in glass.

What does ashes infused jewelry made with glass look like?

There’s no single type of memorial glass jewelry. While there are limited ways of turning ashes to glass, there’s an almost never-ending number of ways you can display the cremation gems in a piece of one-of-a-kind memorial jewelry.

Here are some of the most popular types of cremation glass jewelry:

Necklaces with pendant glass urns

A traditional and classic form of memorial jewelry, a pendant glass urn is a minute urn with a transparent glass cylinder attached to a necklace. The top of the urn can be removed, allowing the wearer to insert a small amount of ashes before securing the lid and carrying their loved one with them wherever they go.

Standard pendant glass urns often give the wearer the chance to customize the piece of jewelry by adding dates, names and other personal details related to the person they’ve lost. Others offer a more complex design, incorporating an hourglass, heart or other meaningful symbol into the piece of memorial glass jewelry.

One of the advantages of this type of cremation jewelry is that it’s easier and cheaper to buy than jewelry featuring cremation balls and glass layered with ashes. While the latter two require the wearer to send a portion of ashes to a professional to be incorporated into the piece of jewelry, pendant urns can be delivered straight to the recipient and they can add the ashes themselves. 

Glass pendants with ashes

As well as pendant glass urns, you can also honor a loved one with a glass cremation necklace featuring a delicate glass pendant. Adding ashes to a glass pendant can be done by swirling them into the glass while it’s molten. This results in a random speckling of ashes within the pendant, creating an image reminiscent of stars in the night sky. 

Another way of making an ashes necklace with glass is to encase the ashes between two plates of glass. In this design, the bottom layer of glass is often bright and colorful, topped with a small portion of cremated ashes which have been carefully placed in a swirl design. A final piece of glass is placed on top so the design remains in place forever.

Glass pendants made from ashes can be placed onto any type of necklace to create a unique piece of memorial jewelry. From simple rope chokers to lavish gold chains, you can customize the necklace just as much as the glass pendant to truly honor the person you want to remember.

Glass rings made with with ashes

Rings made with cremation ashes in glass stones are another beautiful form of paying tribute to someone you’ve lost. In this instance, the piece of cremation glass is gently placed into the ring setting of your choice. Because turning cremation ashes into glass beads is generally affordable, you can create a sophisticated statement ring on a small budget.

Some people incorporate ashes into wedding bands with a channel of cremation glass running through the center of the band. Others opt for a plain band and use the ashes to create a glass formation which sits on top of the band. 

With all the colors and shapes available, it’s easy to design a glass ring made from ashes which accurately represents the person you want to remember and is also suitable for everyday wear.  

Glass earrings made with ashes

Another option when making an ashes keepsake is a glass earrings set. In a similar way to glass rings made from ashes, glass cremation earrings are made by making memorial glass from cremated remains before placing them within a delicate earring setting.

Memorial earrings allow you to be as subtle or extravagant as you like. You can choose a simple stud setting with small memorial glass to create an unassuming sophisticated look you can wear everyday. Alternatively, you can select a flamboyant drop earring design with large memorial glass gems for a fanciful style you can wear for special events. 

Cremation earrings can even be used to honor multiple people who’ve passed away. If you choose the right design, you can add multiple glass beads made from ashes to a set of earrings. This way, you can keep your loved ones close together always.

Ashes infused jewelry isn’t just for women, there are several options for men, too. One of the most popular choices amongst men is a refined set of cufflinks made from the ashes of someone who’s passed on. 

Cremation cufflinks provide you with the opportunity to have loved ones who’ve passed on be present at special occasions. From graduations and birthdays to weddings and anniversaries, having your loved one’s close to you during major life events provides a sense of comfort and closeness unlike any other.

As with any other piece of memorial jewelry, you can customize glass cufflinks made from ashes in many different ways. After choosing the color and design of the memorial glass, you can decide on the style of cufflink and the metal it’s made from. The result is a special keepsake that symbolizes someone you once shared a special connection with.

Ashes infused jewelry for pets

Ashes infused jewelry isn’t exclusively to remember people who’ve passed away; it’s also a wonderful way to commemorate the lives of pets. The exact same process takes place when turning ashes to glass for pets as it does for humans.

You choose the type of memorial glass best suited to your pet, decide on the type of jewelry you want to create and then send a small amount of your pet’s ashes to a professional for them to transform them into an eternal keepsake.

As memorial jewelry only requires a small amount of ashes to make (often as little as a teaspoon) it’s suitable for animals of any size. Whether you want to remember your first horse with a memorial horseshoe pendant necklace or your pet rabbit with a glass pendant urn engraved with a carrot, ashes infused jewelry is a loving way of remembering the bond you shared with your pet.

How glass ashes infused jewelry helps you heal

Turning ashes to glass jewelry is an incredibly healing process which helps many people come to terms with their loss and move on. Everyone’s journey through grief is unique and different people find different types of comfort in cremation glass jewelry. 

Here are a few ways transforming the ashes of a loved one into a beautiful piece of glass jewelry can support you while mourning:

Make sure you’ll never forget them

One of the things people worry about the most after losing a loved one is that they’ll forget them. With cremation jewelry, you can be sure this will never happen. Everytime you glance at your keepsake, you’ll be reminded of the person you shared such a special connection with.

Have them close to you during special events

Having a piece of jewelry which contains the essence of someone you’ve lost means they can still be a part of your life, long after they’ve passed on. From graduations and weddings to births and anniversaries, your loved one can still be present during major life events.

Introduce them to future family members

By having the memory of your loved one immortalized in a meaningful piece of jewelry, you can introduce them to new family members they never had the chance to meet. You can even pass the jewelry on down through the generations so your loved one lives on forever.

Provides a meaningful keepsake you can touch

No matter how many memories you’ve got of the person you lost, you can never reach out and give them a hug. With glass ashes jewelry, you’re able to touch a part of them to keep your connection alive. It might not be the same as a hug, but touching your piece of cremation glass jewelry which contains their ashes still provides comfort.

The history of cremation glass jewelry

Cremation jewelry isn’t anything new. It’s origins can be traced back thousands of years, all the way back to the ancient Romans. Back then, people used to keep parts of the body from the deceased as a reminder. 

During the 14th century, memorial rings were prevalent among people who had lost someone close to them. These rings were inscribed with the name of the deceased, as well as the date of death and worn by family members or close friends. 

By the 16th century, memorial jewelry had transformed into “memento mori” jewelry. Translated from Latin, this means “remember you must die” jewelry. These pieces were decorated with death-related designs, like skeletons, skulls, worms and coffins to remind the wearer of their mortality and the need to pray for the dead.

Unlike the memorial jewelry we have today, memento mori jewelry wasn’t in honor of an individual. Instead, it was a general reminder to encourage people to make the most out of their lives.

It wasn’t until the 17th century that memorial jewelry designed to commemorate a single person became popular. Following the death of her husband Prince Albert, Queen Victoria began to wear memorial jewelry made from jet, a form of fossilized coal. As jet was rather expensive, people began crafting memorial jewelry from other materials, such as black enamel, pearls, ivory, jewels and glass.

Memorial jewelry remained unchanged for many decades before slowly falling out of fashion. However, it wouldn’t be long before the meaningful keepsake made a return.

By the late 1960s, cremation had overtaken burial as the chosen way of putting the deceased to rest. To begin with, people would often take ashes home and store them in an urn or scatter them in the remembrance garden of the crematorium.

As more and more people wanted a more personal reminder of the person they’d lost, cremation glass jewelry emerged. An affordable and tasteful way to keep someone’s memory alive, this type of memorial jewelry is growing in popularity each year and is expected to do so for many more.

Find comfort in glass ashes infused jewelry

Cremation jewelry has helped people overcome great losses for centuries and it’s still providing comfort to people across the world today. While this type of jewelry takes many different shapes and forms, from cremation diamonds to urn pendants, glass jewelry infused with ashes is the type that appeals to most people.

A harmonious balance of beauty, sentimentality, versatility and affordability, glass ashes infused jewelry provides people in mourning with the connection they miss so terribly. Although there’s no way to bring someone back from the other side, a precious keepsake made with the essence of a loved one creates a sense of closure and serenity that’s so important while grieving.