DITCH THE URN. Try these unique ways of displaying ashes. (Photo via Pixabay).

Traditional casket burials can be clunky, expensive, and downright terrible for the environment. That’s why more than half of Americans are now opting to be cremated after they die. Not only is it easy, but there are also cool and unique things to do with those ashes to celebrate the lives of the people we’ve lost. Here are seven options that are a little more interesting than just keeping those ashes in an urn.

1. MAKE ’EM SPARKLE ... IN JEWELRY. 

Whether you have your loved one’s cremains pressed into a diamond or funneled into a capsule necklace, you can always have them with you when they’re made into jewelry. People have made rings, necklaces, bracelets, anything that gives those ashes a little pizzazz. 

2. GET A TATTOO USING THEIR ASHES.

No, I’m not talking about a self-portrait of them on your arm (unless you’re into that). Many tattoo artists are able to mix ashes in with the ink to create a beautiful tattoo that will be a permanent reminder of the ones you’ve lost.

3. SEND THEM OFF WITH A BANG.

Hear me out: fireworks. Who doesn’t love fireworks? Sprinkle a few ashes in those dynamite sticks and watch their colorful lights explode in the sky. It’s a beautiful way to celebrate the lives of your loved ones. 

4. LET THEM LIVE WITH THE FISHES.

You could release their ashes into the ocean, but wouldn’t it be cooler to make them a living part of the ocean and help preserve marine life? Eternal Reefs, a Florida-based charity, creates environmentally safe reefs using your loved one’s ashes, which helps replenish the deteriorating population of reefs on the ocean floor. 

5. SPIN A RECORD.

Nothing helps with the pain of grief like listening to music. You can now do that knowing that they are a part of that music, since companies can now press ashes into working vinyl albums. We recommend going with something upbeat and staying away from Celine Dion, but that’s just us.

6. INVEST IN A PORTRAIT.

Many artists can mix ashes into their paint and create beautiful portraits. I think I would want my ashes to create a Britney Spears portrait, but you could always get a portrait of the person who died.

7. SHOOT THEM INTO SPACE.

Neil Armstrong once said, “One small step for man, one giant step for human remains” – or something like that. A company called Celestis has launched ashes into orbit for 20 years.