Cremation Urns | Urns Northwest

Information on Cremation Urns

Monthly Archives: July 2011

What is a Sharing Keepsake Urn?

Keepsake Cremation Urns

Keepsake Urns

A keepsake urn is a small urn which holds a tiny amount of cremains, usually between 1-35 cubic inches depending on the design of the keepsake. This is just a small portion of the cremated remains, as the average is just under 200 cubic inches.


Keepsake urns are used for a variety of purposes, usually to keep a small portion of remains as a memento when your loved one’s ashes are buried or kept in a funeral niche. Many of our keepsake urns are smaller versions of a standard sized urn for this very reason, allowing you to have a nearly identical keepsake close to you while the urn is stored in a columbarium or buried in a cemetery.

Keepsake urns are also sometimes known as “sharing keepsakes” because several relatives may wish to each keep a small portion of remains, or because an individual’s remains may be entirely divided up between several loved ones.

Here is a video demonstration of our Hummingbird Keepsake Urn, which is the miniature version of the standard-sized Hummingbird Cremation Urn.


 

Do I Have to Purchase an Urn from a Funeral Home?

Wood Urn in Mahogany with Cross

Mahogany Cross Urn

No. You can purchase an urn from anywhere (online, a competing funeral home, a local artist) and bring it to the funeral home or crematorium. Legally, you may purchase a cremation urn anywhere and the funeral home cannot refuse or charge a fee to handle the urn of your choice.

According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, “the funeral provider may not refuse, or charge a fee, to handle a casket [or urn] you bought elsewhere.”

More from the FTC’s Funerals: A Consumer Guide:

Most funeral providers are professionals who strive to serve their clients’ needs and best interests. But some aren’t. They may take advantage of their clients through inflated prices, overcharges, double charges or unnecessary services. Fortunately, there’s a federal law that makes it easier for you to choose only those goods and services you want or need and to pay only for those you select, whether you are making arrangements pre-need or at need.

The Funeral Rule, enforced by the Federal Trade Commission, requires funeral directors to give you itemized prices in person and, if you ask, over the phone. The Rule also requires funeral directors to give you other information about their goods and services. For example, if you ask about funeral arrangements in person, the funeral home must give you a written price list to keep that shows the goods and services the home offers. If you want to buy a casket or outer burial container, the funeral provider must show you descriptions of the available selections and the prices before actually showing you the caskets.
Many funeral providers offer various “packages” of commonly selected goods and services that make up a funeral. But when you arrange for a funeral, you have the right to buy individual goods and services. That is, you do not have to accept a package that may include items you do not want.

According to the Funeral Rule:

  • You have the right to choose the funeral goods and services you want (with some exceptions).
  • The funeral provider must state this right in writing on the general price list.
  • If state or local law requires you to buy any particular item, the funeral provider must disclose it on the price list, with a reference to the specific law.
  • The funeral provider may not refuse, or charge a fee, to handle a casket you bought elsewhere.
  • A funeral provider that offers cremations must make alternative containers available.