How is Cremation Jewelry Made? | Our Process

Few decisions feel as personal as handing over a loved one’s ashes, and families deserve to know exactly what happens to them. Our cremation jewelry process is built around that trust, with careful handling at every step. At Sands of Time, each piece is handmade by one of our artists, who seals a small amount of ashes permanently inside glass. Here is how that work happens, from the first pile of crushed color to the finished keepsake.

Inside Our Cremation Jewelry Process

The process is a little different for each of our artists, yet the heart of it stays the same. We take just a little of the ashes and seal them inside handmade glass, where they stay completely still.

How We Make Comfort Stones

For a comfort stone, we start with frit, a crushed colored glass matched to your order. A blue stone, for example, begins as a small pile of blue glass.

From there, the steps are precise:

1. We sprinkle a little of the ashes over the crushed color.
2. Using a bench torch, we heat a gather of clear glass and stamp it into the mixture.
3. Through a technique called imploding, heat and gravity pull the clear glass down around the ashes and color, sealing everything permanently inside.

How We Shape Paperweights and Orbs

Our paperweight artist, Rachel, lines the ashes up in rows for her staircase design. She dips a gather of clear glass into the colors you chose, stamps it into the ashes, then spirals the mixture together.

A heavy layer of clear glass encases it all to form the orb. The ashes never move or come loose. Even if a paperweight broke, nothing would spill because everything is solidified inside the glass.

Key Takeaway: Every keepsake seals the ashes and color inside solid glass, so nothing is ever loose or at risk over time.

The Care Behind Every Piece

We treat every order as the deeply personal trust that it is, and it shapes how we work from start to finish.

One Set of Ashes at a Time

In the studio, we keep only one set of ashes out at any moment. This prevents any cross-contamination or mixing between orders. After each piece, we clean and sanitize every tool, from our pokes to our knives, before we begin another. That way, the ashes that go into your keepsake belong to your loved one alone.

Integrity at Every Stage of the Cremation Jewelry Process

We know what these pieces mean to the families who order them, so we take that responsibility personally. That diligence carries through everything we make, because integrity matters more here than speed.

Pro Tip: Ask about the artist’s communication card. It comes with your order and keeps you informed about your loved one’s ashes.

Need help choosing a memorial keepsake? Contact Sands of Time for a free consultation.

What Happens to Unused Ashes

Often, a small amount of ashes remains, and we handle it with the same care as the rest.

Stored Safely for 90 Days

We store any unused ashes in the same bag they arrived in. They stay at our studio for 90 days. Your artist communication card tells you whether any ashes remain and how much. From there, you decide:

• Have additional items made from the remaining ashes, or
• Have the ashes respectfully scattered after 90 days.

Peaceful Scattering Sites

Each of our artists has a quiet, personal place where they scatter ashes. Our artist Jolie, for example, lives in the mountains of Gold Hill, Oregon, near a peaceful overlook. You can see a photograph of it on our website.

Pro Tip: If scattering matters to you, ask which artist will create your piece.

Create a Keepsake that Lasts

A handmade piece keeps a loved one close in something solid and lasting. Our artists bring real skill and genuine care to every order. Reach out to Sands of Time today to begin your cremation jewelry process with a team that treats your trust as sacred.