Purple was said to be Cleopatra’s favorite color. The ancients created the unique color from the mollusk shell, and the expense was so great that only royals could afford to wear it.

We’ve covered the power of purple in earlier posts. Purple has a special, almost sacred place in nature: lavender, orchid, lilac, and violet flowers are often delicate and considered precious. We’ve tried to capture the spirit of purple in our exclusive urn collection.

Moonlight Bohemian Urn

Purple Metal Urns

Purple Pet Urn

Maple Leaf Urn Pendant

Stainless Steel Engraved Urn

Cloisonne Nature Series Urn

Ceramic Elk Keepsake Urn

Tree of Life Urn

Legends of the Fall Urn

Our nature series, “Seasons of Life” fine art urns, excellent quality craftsmanship. Available in matching keepsake urn sizes and companion (double capacity) urns.

Timeless Symbols of Protection:

In many cultures, the horn is believed to be the symbol of life and eternity. In ancient Italy the horn charm or amulet was worn in as protection against evil spirits and has also been linked to Celtic and Druid myths and beliefs. In pre-Christian Europe, animal horns pointed to the moon goddess and were considered sacred.

Italian Horn Urn Jewelry

The Italian Horn urn necklace is available in sterling silver, 14K gold. Comes with silk cord.

The fish symbol is representative of the Christian faith and has ancient roots in the Celtic and Druid culture. This discreet urn pendant holds a trace amount of ash, flowers, hair, or other small memento. Available in sterling silver and 14K gold.

Ithicus Fish Urn Jewelry

Galyani Vadhana

Ever since Thailand’s 84 year old Princess Galyani Vadhana passed away on January 2nd, artists and technicians have been busy over the past 10 months readying Princess’ chariot for her final ride. Some fast facts on this ancient rig.

Weighs in at 14 tons. Compare to a cargo van 2.5 tons.

Pulled by 228 soldiers. Seems like horse power would be better, but none of the ancient chariots have Hemis. The chariot will carry the Princess on a long procession around the heart of Bangkok, using levers, gears, winches, and manpower.

Dates back to 1875, built during the reign of King Rama I.

Despite it’s size, it’s a piece of rolling art. Elegantly carved in wood, gleaming with mirrors, gem stones and gold leaf.

The chariots will roll for the first time since 1995 when they were used during the cremation ceremony of the King’s mother.

Ceremonies started on November 14.

Source: The Straits Times

Our continuing interview with Deena Pulaski of Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory in La Porte, Indiana.

Deena says education of her client families has been a big aspect of the business. “We see more price shoppers now, many families are not aware of the options available, and it’s our job to educate them. They don’t realize that with cremation, they can have a viewing and visitation, and will often choose that type of service when offered.”

Trends: Many families are opting to keep the ashes in the home. When Deena asks the families if they’ve considered arrangements for guardianship later, the families often don’t know what they are going to do.

“We’re just trying to avoid future scenarios when the super bargain hunter arrives at the funeral home with an estate sale treasure….filled with ashes.”

Since La Porte is near many waterways, Deena fields requests from families that are interested in scattering the ashes over water. “I always recommend that they consider a water soluable urn. We’ve had several incidents of the plastic temporary urns that have been tossed over the side of the boat, later wash up on shore.”

As part of our ongoing “Women in Funeral Service” series, I recently had the pleasure to visit with Deena Pulaski. Deena and her husband, Casmir, just celebrated their two year anniversary at their new funeral home, Lakeview Funeral Home and Crematory in LaPorte, Indiana.

“We always knew that we’d own a funeral home, but imagined that we’d purchase an existing business, and it would be later than sooner.” said Deena

Deena was gracious enough to discuss take time out of her busy schedule to discuss some of the challenges of being being the new kid on the block in a small community of long established funeral homes, as well as some of the trends she sees with the families she serves.

Today’s jewelry show features mourning jewelry from the Victorian age.

Ruby & Diamond Skull Mourning Ring

Vintage Mourning Jewelry

Plaited hair woven into the eternity/infinity symbol..serpent style! These styles are very collectible and I recently talked with a funeral director in Ohio who collects the hair art. Would the community come out for an exhibit on Memento Mori….at the funeral home?

And then we have the modern designs that blend the ancient symbols of circles, wings and feathers and leaves the skulls and scales in the past:

Eternity Urn Necklace

Infinity Urn Pendant

Winged Urn Necklace

There’s not many choices for urn bracelets, so it’s exciting when a new style becomes available for families that want it. We’ve been working this week on our new collection of urn jewelry, bracelets and matching urn pendants.

Eternity Urn Bracelet

The circle is an ancient symbol of Eternity. Beaded leather and 14 K yellow gold combine for a contemporary urn bracelet design. Our urn jewelry blends the simplicity of the Eternity symbol that discreetly holds a trace of cremation ash, lock of hair, or other small loving memento. Comes with full instructions and necessary tools for filling. Available in sterling silver, and 14K gold.

Eternity Urn Necklace

Fall is an excellent time to plant a tree as a living memorial for a loved one. Even apartment dwellers can adopt and beautify a blighted urban area or possibly a park area. (Contact local officials in your area) We’ve assisted many schools that have planned tree planting memorials for students and faculty.

Depending on the zone you live in Fall planting is best in mild climates. Weather conditions are cool and allow plants to establish roots in the new location before spring rains and summer heat stimulate new top growth.

A popular choice for a memorial planting is the Weeping Cherry tree. These stunning ornamental trees are generally pest and disease resistant and don’t require a lot of pruning. Pair your new planting with a memorial stone and you’ll have created a beautiful living tribute to honor your loved one.

Examples of memorial stones that some of our families have chosen:

This style is one of the most popular and can be personalized with artwork and a custom message.

The heart-shaped memorial stones are an inexpensive option: Less than $40.00

The river rock garden stones also do well and can be personalized with custom message and artwork.

All of our stones can sustain harsh winters and usually ship within a week after ordering.

Thank you for letting us serve you.