Cremation Urns

At Urns Northwest, the joy found in a good day’s work is centered on helping our clients find what they are looking for while saving them time, money, and stress. Our customer service staff is ready to answer phone calls and/or emails with any questions you may have about our products, shipping arrangements, or personalization options.

Sonata Bamboo Cremation Urn

The most common inquiries we receive are about how quickly a particular urn can be built and shipped. Most of the time our customers are in the process of organizing a memorial or funeral service, and need an urn in hand before the service date. We’re happy to field these calls and arrange the appropriate shipping method to suit the given time frame while maintaining the lowest shipping costs possible.

Another common client question pertains to how the cremains (cremated remains) are to be placed in the urn. Most wood cremation urns have a bottom-opening panel held in place by several screws (see our video demonstration), while some ceramic or metal vase urns have a top-threaded lid. The family of the deceased wants to be sure of using the urn and transferring the remains correctly, and we’re always happy to field these inquiries and will do our best to provide product-specific instructions to the family on methods of transferring the remains and options for securing the cremation container.

From a recent customer review:

I found this product to be exactly what I expected it to be…What I didn’t expect is the extra care and concern that was put into the process of ordering and delivering of what I can only say is the last momento I will have of a person I hold dearest in my heart….The personal care and extra steps taken with the engraving and personal care with delivery, all at a price of almost half that of the memorial home’s….I can only say thank you…you helped me in ways I did know someone could…

In addition, our website features an extensive FAQ section, extensive online resources,  numerous videos, and of course this blog, all in an effort to help you in answering common questions about the cremation process, using and storing an urn, details about particular urns, and more.

Here are a few ceramic urns hand-crafted in the USA by a Washington artist featuring Asian themes.

The Asian Calligraphy Cremation Urn is crafted in a classically round shape with custom characters fired onto the surface of the urn. We can inscribe Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or other characters. View product details for links full of ideas to honor the memory of a loved one even if you do not know the language. Available in 3 different finishes: White Crackle, as shown; Aqua Luster; or Lemon Luster.

The Korean Style Burial Jar Cremation Urn is a work of art, with handmade accents consisting of clay figurines and pots. This gorgeous funeral urn is custom made to order with a design after actual museum pieces. A beautiful way to honor a loved one.

One of our most breathtaking funeral urns, the Han Tomb Ceramic Cremation Urn is a magnificent design based on Chinese tombs from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Constructed of glazed earthenware clay, with an embellished surface boasting a vibrant array of carved decorative elements, a work this elaborate will always symbolize the high status of the individual buried within.

We get many inquiries about the appliqués we offer for customers to personalize our cremation urns. These appliqués are gorgeous and come in many themes, including religious (crosses, doves, praying hands) military (Army, Navy, etc), hobby (hunting, fishing), and more.

How can I figure out if an appliqué will fit onto the urn I want?

Because our cremation urn appliqués are sold and shipped separately, it is important to determine in advance if the chosen appliqué will fit. All of our product pages display the dimensions of the product towards the bottom of the product description, so take note of the dimensions of the appliqué and then compare that to the dimensions of the urn you’ve selected. If there is any doubt, please feel free to contact us and we will measure the available space to ensure that if will fit.

How do I attach an appliqué to a cremation urn?

Our urn appliqués are designed to be attached to wood and metal urns, by a 3M industrial-grade double-stick tape. Make sure that the surface area is clean, dry, and free of dust, then simply remove the layer of plastic from the back of the appliqué and affix it directly to the place on the urn you would like it to go. Once you place it, it will not be removable so be careful!

For a limited time we are proud to offer free laser engraved personalization on select wood cremation urns – a $40.00 value!

Engraving will be automatically added to cart. To customize,

• Proceed to checkout
• After selecting Shipping Method, enter the text you would like engraved in the “Order Instructions/Comments box
• Also specify where you would like engraving: ”Top of urn” or “Front of urn”
• Also specify font: Times New Roman, Times New Roman Italics, or Snell. Click here to view fonts.

Items that qualify for free laser engraving:

Cedar Urn  -$159.00

Cedar Memory Chest – $239.00

Cedar Urn with Memory Chest  – $259.00

A Walk on the Beach Urn  – $365.00

Ambassador Boat Fishing Urn  – $365.00

Butterfly Urn  – $365.00

Hummingbird Urn  – $365.00

Lighthouse Urn  – $365.00

Rustic Paradise Urn  – $365.00

 View our entire selection of dimensional art cremation urns here.

The subject matter may be a bit heavy, but… well, here it is.

Cremation urns are both functional and decorative. Most people prefer a traditional, standard urn shape and construction, in a box or vase shape to hold the cremains, with minor customization on the exterior such as a butterfly design and an engraved inscription. This makes for a simple and functional urn with enough decoration to be attractive without being outlanding.

Others, however, prefer to honor their loved one with a fitting memorial that is unique in shape and design so as to reflect the unique personality of the departed. At Urns Northwest, we have a variety of these specialty cremation urns.

 Cowboy Boots Urn - $499.00

 Golf Bag Urn - $599.00

 Motorcycle Engine Urn Tower - $349.00

 Camouflage Urn - $189.00

 Mallard Duck Urn - $499.00

All our new wood urns mentioned here are available as companion urns.

 Wood Companion Urn with Mountain Scene $369.00

 Wood Companion Urn with Lighthouse $369.00

 Wood Companion Urn with Music Scene $369.00

 Wood Companion Urn with Swans $369.00

Our wooden companion urns can be designed with or without an interior divider. This option allows the couple to choose to have their remains co-mingled inside the urn as a symbol of their unity in life and in death, or, alternately, to keep their ashes separated to represent their individuality while still being united forever in a beautiful wood companion urn as a token of the depth of their love.

And while we’ve long offered the Bible Companion Urn with Doves, as well as the standard-sized Bible Urn with Cross, we recently added the same cross book urn in companion or double urn size:

 Bible Companion Urn with Cross $329.00

 

Check our retail urn website, www.urnsnw.com, to see new products. Simply access the home page and scroll down beneath the “featured products” to see the newest cremation urns added to our store.

Since most people are not in the market for urns on a daily basis, it can be very hard to even get started. Sometimes there are more questions than answers and with the emotional turmoil, this only adds more stress.

First off, you can legally keep cremains in almost any container you would like. People have used vases for centuries and more recently we have even heard the stories of coffee cans. You can modify a violin to make an urn if you so pleased. The main question is – Where will this urn be kept?

If you plan on keeping the urn in your home then you have more freedom in the choice than if you want to place it in a niche at a cemetery. Many niches are 11″ x11″ x 11″ limiting your choice to a cremation urn under 11″ in all directions, so the violin is out of the question unless you build a miniature violin. 

When keeping the urn in the home some people don’t want to draw attention to the urn as an urn. This is where the design can fool people. Many of our urns have been mistaken as jewelry chests others we offer are actually clocks.

Castlewood clock urn

 The Castlewood clock urn is a functioning and beautiful hardwood clock, yet it also keeps cremains inside.

The other area of decision is the material of the urn. Some people prefer brass or ceramics and some love the richness of walnut. This is a personal choice which is sometimes predetermined by the deceased (or a known preference.) Let the urn be something that represents your loved one to you, don’t let the salesman sway you by trying to convince you to buy a thousand dollar urn because “he would’ve wanted the quality”, but instead find the most fitting urn to remember them by.

The question that comes up often is “how long will the urn last?”

• If you are keeping the urn in your home, than how long will similar items last? If it is wood, how long does your hardwood furniture last? How old is that antique that has been handed down for generations? The hardwood urns are built from the same wood as those antiques and with the same high quality finishes that are used on cabinets and furniture sold today.
• If you plan on burying the urn, most cemeteries will require a burial vault that can be sealed and are made from high grade polymers or metals.
• For those who will place in a niche within a mortuary, the conditions are usually that which are dry enough and sealed to protect wood or metals from corrosion and rot.

I hope that this will help you in deciding what cremation urn will work best, but always keep in mind that it is your choice. Don’t let anyone make you choose some old ugly looking urn because that is all the crematorium offers. Also, keep things within a budget, by not being forced, even if it is merely by guilt, to buy something that can’t be afforded.