Small Keepsake Urns for Ashes

Young female sat on glossy white floor looking out the glass window. Lady is wearing gray and sat beside a small black traditional keepsake urn for human ashes and a white funeral lily.

What is a keepsake urn and why do people choose these small urns for human ashes?

Keepsake cremation urns can be called small urns, mini urns, keepsake urns, small keepsakes, shared urns (sharing urns) and even token urns. These terms are in reference to the size of the small urns, they only hold a small portion of cremation ashes.

Sometimes cremation jewelry can also be referred to as keepsake jewelry too. This includes necklaces, rings and bracelets which hold a tiny amount of ashes as well as jewelry where the ashes are incorporated in creating the jewel or resin.

Keepsake urns for ashes can be found in a wide variety of colors, sizes, materials and styles. These can range from mini traditional shaped silver urns to unique and colorful small decorative urns.

View Our Collection of Small Keepsake Urns

2 women one man. Family happy thinking bout memories. Young male and female with older grandmother in the middle. Young male and young femal wear plaid shirts of pink, purple and blue. older female wears white.

Why choose a small keepsake cremation urn?

Choosing a keepsake urn for ashes is the perfect choice for families wanting to store a little amount or portion of cremated remains. They can provide a sense of comfort by allowing you to keep a small portion of that special person close by your side forever.

Keepsake urns are also a popular choice for families who scatter their beloved ones’ ashes but want to keep a portion of the cremated remains themselves.
Small cremation urns for human ashes are also chosen by families who whish to divide their beloveds ashes amongst family members. These are sometimes referred to as sharing keepsakes.

Some of the larger keepsake cremation urns for human ashes are also often used as a full cremation urns for children and infants due to their small size.

Sizing counters. Wooden. Size smallest getting bigger.

What size is a keepsake urn for ashes?

Cremation urn sizes are measured in cubic inches. This refers to the volume of cremated remains each urn can hold. 1 cubic inch of cremated remains equates to 1lb of bodyweight.
Mini keepsake urns for human ashes can range in size from a tiny urn folding just 3 cubic inches urn to a much larger small urn holding up to 50 cubic inches. Keepsake jewelry often will hold just a pinch of ashes.
If you are searching for a cremation urn to store the entire remains of an adult in one vessel you need to consider a full-size adult cremation urn.

Can keepsake urns for ashes be engraved?

Many keepsake urns can be engraved but we do not recommend engraving our Our small candle cremation urn, as we have not tested this personally, although we know of others who have engraved this urn, we recommend using a name plate (on a ribbon) instead. Our small bamboo urn for ashes comes with a message tag for personalization.

Small keepsake urn for human ashes and pets. White mini urn with engraved silver lid. Canlde is being lit with a match in womans hand. Mini urn for human ashes is displayed on wooden table top with book, plant and small candles. Pot plant has gold pattern

Why use a small urn for human ashes?

Choosing a small urn for ashes is the preferred option for many. Reasons for choosing a small urn include:

A small urn allows you to keep part of your loved ones remains should they/you desire to scatter or intern their ashes somewhere special.
You can keep part of your loved one’s ashes with you in a cremation keepsake urn. Even if you decided on interment or scattering for the majority of your beloveds’ ashes.
Sharing cremated remains amongst family, e.g., multiple children sharing their moms’ or dads’ ashes. Sometimes people can choose matching keepsake urns, sometimes in a set of urns, for this and others each family member can choose their own mini urn design for their portion of ashes.
If more than 1 small cremation urn is in rotation, the loved one can be present at multiple celebratory events or memorials at the same time.
They are smaller in size allows for more flexibility in keeping their ashes at home with you, especially if space is an issue. Small keepsake urns can be less domineering than large traditional full-size cremation urns and can therefore be placed on top of a dresser, table or nightstand, on a shelf, in a study or even kept in your handbag if you want to keep them with you all the time.

Is it ok to divide ashes amongst small keepsake urns?

Whilst the Vatican has ruled that Catholics are forbidden to divide ashes, everyone else is able to divide the ashes (unless there is a legal dispute over the cremated remains in which case you should seek legal advice).

If your special person has left instructions on what to do with their ashes, then this directive should be followed and their life wishes respected. In most instances though it is left to their family members to decide what happens to the ashes.

Set of three matching keepsake sharing urns for human ashes. 3 White & silver candle holder funeral urns with tealight candles. White metal urn body is pearlescent, like mother of pearl. Silver finish lid has a tea light recess and has intricate engraving

Historically the deceased family members have had to decide which person would keep the memorial but these days have passed.

Sharing ashes amongst family members is a beautiful way for your loved one to be remembered by everyone. This can help families find comfort by allowing everyone to keep their loved ones remains close by their side. This can help them feel connected to their loved one, and allows them to pay their respects privately whenever they wish without needing to attend a grave or sit by a headstone.

Small keepsake urns for ashes are the ideal vessel should you decide to divide the ashes. Each urn will contain a portion of your loved ones ashes. The size of small urn required will depend on how they are to be divided.

Our Candle keepsake cremation urn is a popular choice for families dividing ashes, and choosing to keep them at home, frequently purchased as a set (see our Human Ashes - Set of 3 or our Human Ashes - Set of 4) whilst our small bamboo urn is ideal for sharing ashes amongst family members at water burials and scatterings.

Large metal Cremation urn for ashes. Aluminum cremation Urn is displayed with lid removed sat on red velvet urn bag with drawstrings. Funeral urn is white mother of pearl which looks ceramic and has a silver metal engraved lid with built in candle holder

How do you transfer ashes to a small urn?

The openings on our range of keepsake urns are all quite wide but depending on the style of keepsake urn you decide on they can be quite small and in cremation jewelry they are very small. A funnel is best used to fill urns with smaller openings.

If you are not comfortable transferring the ashes ask friends or family member to help. The funeral home should also be able transfer the ashes for you.

The process of putting your loved ones ashes into a small urn.

Lay a large sheet of paper down to catch any stray ashes and make sure no items get lost.

Gather everything you need; urn, a spoon, bag of ashes, a small container, a toothpick, plus a small funnel and screwdriver if required.

Undo the cremation urn and place on the paper, this should either screw open by hand or may require a small screwdriver.

Open the ashes and transfer;
- if you are confident and there is a large opening you can pour the ashes directly into the keepsake urn.
- using the spoon you can spoon them directly into the small urn if the opening is large enough.
- Place a funnel in the opening if required and pour/spoon ashes into the cremation urn via the funnel.
- If the opening is very small and for keepsake jewelry you may need to separate the finer particles from the larger ones to ensure they fit in the opening. To do this use a spoon to put some ashes on the paper and separate.
Clear and ashes from the thread is required, for very small openings and jewlery use the toothpick.

The cap should easily screw back on/in.

Seal the urn if needed.

Wipe your urn with a soft cloth to remove any stray ashes and fingerprints.

Return any stray ashes that have fallen onto the paper..

picture of some Momentos and keepsake of a loved one. Gold pocket watch, necklace, gold jewelry photo necklace locket bible photograph gold notebook sits on top

Are cremation urns only for storing ashes?

No, a cremation urn is essentially just a container. Whilst originally designed and purchased for storing cremated ashes, they can be used to keep other mementoes safe too, whether this is a lock of hair, photograph or the possessions of the deceased.

It is not uncommon for there to be empty space in the urn when you have transferred the ashes, you can add any mementos you wish that will fit in this space. We recommend to keep the ashes in a plastic bag if this is the case you can easily access the keepsakes at a later date should you wish to. .

Also, if you purchase an urn and later scatter the ashes, the urn is a perfect place to store mementos of your loved one. This could be a watch, jewelry, photographs or something else sentimental to you that is kept within their memorial.

Frequently Askes Questions on Small Keepsake Cremation Urns

These are some of the popular questions people have when researching small urns for ashes.

How much do small urns for ashes cost?

The price of small urns for cremated ashes varies greatly and there are small ash urns to suit everyone’s budget.
You can purchase very cheap, mass-produced mini cremation urns for human ashes online for tens of dollars. Alternatively, you can commission an artist to create a bespoke custom-made keepsake urn for your loved ones remains for hundreds of dollars.

Where can I buy a small keepsake urn?

You can purchase a small keepsake urn from multiple places. Some people like to purchase from the funeral directors or crematorium that is managing their loved one’s death. Others prefer to shop online as this offers much more variety and choice of small urns for human ashes.
Online urns can be purchased from independent businesses, like this one, large cremation urn companies and many department stores or marketplaces.

Can the small cremation urn for human ashes be too big?

A cremation urn cannot be classed as too big unless the external dimensions prevent it from being kept where you choose. It is very common for there to be empty space within the urn once the cremated ashes have been placed inside.

How do you seal a keepsake urn?

Sealing a small urn for ashes is not necessary with many small ash urns as they have a secure fastening incorporated. However, if you want to permanently seal the mini urn for added peace of mind then you will need to use a liquid adhesive suited to the material the urn is made from; wood, metal, glass.

Can I change my small cremation urn for ashes at a later date?

Yes should you wish to change your small urn at a later date this can easily be done as long as the urn has not been sealed. You can simply undo the urn and follow the steps for transferring ashes into a cremation urn above to more your loved ones ashes from one small urn to another.

How much ash fits in a small urn?

The amount of cremation ash that fits inside a small urn depends on the size of keepsake urn you buy. The size will be provided in cubic inches, 1 cubic inch of ashes equates to 1 pound in bodyweight at the time of passing.

Can I use a small urn for human ashes as a pet urn?

Yes, small cremation urns are often used for pets too. The only difference between a specific pet urn and a human urn is the design, with many pet urns featuring paw prints, bones and other pet friendly designs. The size of small urn you will need for your pet will depend on the animal and breed.
Animals also follow the sizing rule of allowing 1 cubic inch for every 1lb. they weighed.

View The Range of Small Cremation Urns for Ashes

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