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bronze cremation urn

Buying a Cremation Urn – 3 Tips

September 21, 2016 urngarden.com

Urn Garden beautiful cremation urns for sale

So, you need to buy a cremation urn. Not exactly what anyone wants to be shopping for, and our deepest sympathies to you. Once you make the decision to move forward, then it can be overwhelming the number of choices available. Here’s three tips to get you started to create a memorial that works for the whole family.

First of all, in this post we are going to assume that you need an urn for a human adult. Many for the styles we will talk about today are available in smaller sizes that will work for sharing ashes, children or even pets. Size does matter when shopping for a funeral urn. Not sure what size to get? Visit our Learning Center to determine what size urn will be best for your needs.

American Made Bronze Urns: When Only the Best Will Do

For families that want the best, they often buy our premium handcrafted bronze urns. The people that make this choice understand and respect the craftsmanship and artistry that goes into the creation of bronze art and are willing to wait for a masterpiece.

Bronze Eagle Cremation Urn

Sculpture urns are often poured to order and can take 2-4 weeks to produce. A cremation urn like this is usually displayed in the home and will blend into the decor, however, we’ve had customers buy these for burial at the cemetery.

Some of our families have shared the reason behind buying a bronze cremation urn previously, but here’s a few more:

bronze lighthouse cremation urn

A recent project for a family whose mother requested a lighthouse urn before she died turned out beautifully. This lady was said to have “lit up the room wherever she went” but also collected lighthouses, so it was a perfect tribute.

Eagles are popular and a couple of widows have selected the deer urn to represent the spirit of their dear departed husbands.

deer cremation urn

Not Your Grandfather’s Funeral Urn

Urns for ashes used to be limited in style and color. Usually, dark metal colors in a chalice shape were all that was available. Now? Traditional vase shapes are available in every color, with pink, purple, blue, and elegant white being some of the most popular. Sometimes, just starting with the loved one’s favorite color can be a good starting point.

pink purple urns for ashes

Metal urns with nature themes, like hummingbirds and flowers are painted in rich jewel tone colors and then inlayed with glowing mother of pearl. So attractive and affordable.

hummingbird Mother of Pearl Urns

Box shaped urns can be embellished with crisp graphics that honor favorite hobbies like hunting and fishing, or military service. These urns are usually made from brass and often can be laser engraved with names, dates, or a brief verse.

Memorial Chests and Boxes for Ashes

If the cremation has already occurred and you have possession of the ashes, they are probably contained within one of the standard black plastic boxes from the funeral home. It’s not uncommon for us to hear from a family member who has been possessed the ashes of a loved one for several years and feels that the time has come to create a more permanent resting place. Consider one of the memorial chests that are designed to store these boxes.

memorial box for ashes

Using simple design and usually made from wood with a hinged lid that lifts to reveal storage. You can simply place the container inside. Some models come with a lift out tray for storing jewelry, papers, photos, or other mementos and have keyed entry locks. Most of the time these boxes are crafted in wood and can be personalized with names and dates.

Earlier this year we wrote another post that might help focus your search. Still have questions? We can help.

5 Tips for Choosing a Cremation Urn

Filed Under: Confessions, Featured Products Tagged With: american made funeral urns, box for ashes, bronze cremation urn, containers for ashes

Deer Cremation Urns-Magical and Creative

March 24, 2014 urngarden.com

deer cremation urnWhen we chose the deer as inspiration for a cremation urn, we were thinking of the magical qualities of this animal. This style is a favorite with families that are honoring a hunter or outdoors man and is definitely a statement piece that takes a few weeks to produce.

Crafted in bronze, it’s more expensive than many of the traditional vase shaped urns and is made in the USA.  The beauty of this style is that it’s a bronze memorial that can be displayed in the home as a piece of sculpture, safely stores the ashes of your loved one, but does not SCREAM urn.

Most commercial representations of deer characterize them as gentle and sensitive creatures. Deer spirit animals are no different. By leaning on this animal, you will assume the power to deal with challenges with grace and dignity. Deer totem wisdom gives humans the ability to be vigilant, instinctive and to move quickly.

deer cremation urn

Deer Symbolism
Deer represent a variety of characteristics from soft and gentle to strong and determined. Others include:

  •     Ability to move through life and its challenges and obstacles with grace and gentleness
        Getting in touch with one’s inner child and innocence
        Being intuitive and sensitive
        Being vigilant

Deer totem allows people to bring grace into all aspects of their lives including during life’s most challenging moments. The spirit will remind you to remain calm and graceful during hard times, qualities brought forth from the heart.  A deer’s horns are great for defending and asserting one’s self, but being gentle doesn’t mean you are defenseless. With a deer’s powerful spirit on your side, you can be strong and determined yet graceful simultaneously.

deer urns

Deer in Mythology and Culture
In Celtic mythology, deer are magical and creative creatures that are able to move gracefully between worlds. St. Patrick, for instance, and his companions were said to be transformed into deer to escape a trap by a pagan king. In Greek mythology, a deer is associated with Artemis, a virginal huntress. She transformed Actaeon into a stag after he witnessed her unclothed body.

hunting cremation urn

The Native American Pawnee believed the deer was the guide to the light of the Sun. Early Christians said deer would spit water into a hole or crevice where a poisonous snake was hiding, drawing it out and then killing it with its hooves. Finally, in ancient China and Cambodia, the stag was also associated with the sun, but negatively as it was thought to bring a drought.

Urn Garden Cremation Urns

Filed Under: art, cremation, Featured Products, urns Tagged With: bronze cremation urn, bronze urn, deer cremation urns, deer urn for ashes, elk urn for ashes, hunting cremation urn

Turtle Cremation Urns Are Protection for the Journey

March 18, 2014 urngarden.com

As learned in the children’s tale, “The Tortoise and the Hare,” sure and steady typically win the race. Those who can relate to turtles can fully understand this message as turtles symbolize patience and endless wisdom. Their ancient souls have learned the art of adapting to new surroundings and environments, whether on land or in water. In the spirit world, turtles bring the gifts of longevity, fertility, blessings and journeys while carrying the energies of patience, protection and self-pacing. Based on those qualities we were inspired by the symbol of the turtle to create an urn from bronze. Made in here in America, bronze will last forever and be a lasting tribute to your loved one.

Turtle Cremation Urn

As one of the oldest reptiles living, turtles remind people to slow down. Life is a journey, so sit back and enjoy it! But people can also learn to ground themselves in the protective energy that is the earth and follow those energies at a pace to ensure success.
Turtle Cremation Jewelry
Great Protectors
Turtles understand the need for self-protection as well as protecting those they love. Their hard shells are comparable to a spiritual shell or armor you can have to protect yourself from negativity, painful memories and harmful influences. This symbol has been adapted on a smaller scale to use as a personal mini memorial with our turtle urn pendant in your choice of silver or gold. The pendant has an opening on the back and that’s where it is filled with the ashes.

The inner wisdom of turtles’ spirits comes from being allowed to go inside and find peace and safety. Often thought to be the wisest of souls in the animal kingdom, turtles understand and take their wisdom one day at a time. They move at their own pace, not worrying or carrying what others think.

Turtle Symbolism
Turtles are long-lived and have carefree attitude, but their bodies are very symbolic. The shell represents the heavens, its body the earth and its under-body symbolizes the underworld. A turtle’s symbolism differs depending on country of origin. Hindus see turtles as lunar creatures, while in China, they are symbols of strength. In Japan, turtles are gods of the seas and in West Africa, they are symbols of fertility and feminine.

Urn Garden Cremation Urns

Filed Under: Confessions Tagged With: bronze cremation urn, turtle cremation urn, turtle symbolism, turtle urns, urn pendant

Lighthouse in the Storm, Sandy Aftermath Survivor Tales

February 26, 2014 urngarden.com

bronze lighthouse cremation urnRecently, we sold a solid bronze lighthouse cremation urn to a client in Long Beach, NY who is trying to rebuild her life and refurbish her home in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

Amid the stress and anxiety of an oncoming storm, her husband was dying at home and did not want to leave despite the mandatory evacuation notice.

She lives several blocks away from the beach, and eventually the water crept in. The house got cold after the power went out, and that’s when reality set in.

Without electricity and no generator, they had to move.

He died three weeks later.

He was fit, funny, mentally strong, in the prime of his life. Living the dream within blocks of a sandy beach with a beautiful wife. A year later, she’s dealing with the insurance company for both her home and his life.

They say it can take up to three years for a community to recover after a wicked storm or natural disaster. Just this week, three new schools opened in Joplin, MO, three years after the devastating tornado that killed 161 people. Kudos to Google who seems to be revisiting communities after the landscape changes. On street maps for Long Beach, you can see still tarps on rooftops and lots of earth movers parked on the beach.

Bronze Lighthouse Urn, The Perfect Tribute

She’s moving forward and a year later decided that a lighthouse would be the perfect tribute to her husband. He was an attention to detail guy and appreciated quality. She selected the best, a bronze sculpture urn that will last forever on the fireplace mantle.

lighthouse cremation urn

She commented that it was so solid, that she’d never have to worry about it breaking if it fell off the shelf. The construction and care that goes into our bronze far exceeds the inexpensive imports that use alloys to create a hollow shell.

In addition to urns, this US foundry creates massive memorial pieces for parks, churches, and schools. Fun fountains for Disney, and custom statues and busts.

bronze angel St. Michael statue sculpture

Sand Dollar and Starfish Urn Memorials

Other survivors of that brutal storm have purchased memorials on a smaller scale, like the Sand Dollar Ash Pendant and the Starfish blown glass memorial. Small and personal, this jewelry is a discreet way to personalize a tribute.

gold sand dollar urn necklace

starfish blown glass ash memorial

We’re here to help, if you have questions.

Urn Garden Cremation Urns

Filed Under: art, Confessions, Featured Products, obituaries Tagged With: bronze cremation urn, light house cremation urn, light house urn

Choosing a Cremation Urn to Create a Memorial with Meaning

January 28, 2014 urngarden.com

As we race to the finish line of January, it’s been a cold cruel month.  On top of harsh weather, we’re collecting the stories that our customers share. How they deal with not only the chilling temperatures but try to find the light during a dark day. Sometimes the tales are tragic, others are inspirational and filled with hope.

We’ll start with the lady who commissioned a bronze eagle urn for her son. She chose the Spirit of America Bronze Eagle Urn for three reasons:  she wanted the best,  she wanted an urn that was made in the USA, but the biggest reason she chose this urn was because he always told his mother that she was the wind beneath his wings.

Bronze eagle cremation urn

The young bride, mid 20’s, who married her love in October of 2013. Newlyweds. Still on their honeymoon. In late January, just three months after the wedding she was planning a funeral and buying a cremation urn for her late husband. He ended his young life. It’s so confusing. The family is devastated. How do we understand this?

red gold adult cremation urn for ashes

And finally, the Asian family in New York who wanted a green marble urn to not only honor their loved one, but also celebrate the Chinese New Year. They were very specific and wanted genuine marble, not cultured or synthetic, preferably quarried in Asia. It had to be green to symbolize new life and good fortune. We discussed the properties of marble and the natural veining that occurs, she understood but preferred to have an urn with white veining and no black if at all possible as they associated the color black with darkness and illegal behaviors.Marble Cremation UrnSo far, it’s shaping up to be an interesting year and as always, we rely on our clients to guide us in creating memorials that matter.

Urn Garden

Filed Under: Featured Products, Memorial Service Ideas, three beautiful things Tagged With: american made urns, bronze cremation urn, Eagle cremation urn, marble cremation urn

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