Cremation Urns Available NOW:
These urns are ready to be shipped!  If you see one you like, please text me now!  After receiving payment, I can pack and ship it within 3 days via FedEx.

​The hand-crafted cremation urns I make are unique.  I am able to make a custom urn at your request: see the section below to answer some of your questions.  If you'd like to talk to me about a custom urn or to see what my current availability is, please contact me by email or phone, or fill out the contact form on the last page.  If an item is not in stock, please be aware that it takes at least 30 days to create a new one, to go from wet clay to fired piece.

PREVIOUSLY-MADE Hand Crafted Cremation Urns:

Some "Custom Order" Urns I have made...

"So, why does it take so long to make a new piece?"

Individually created custom ceramic urns, and other hand crafted pieces can take up to 30 days to make.  For custom orders, I provide the customers ideas and get suggestions from them.  They may have a specific idea of what they want or I may make suggestions.  The communication may be frequent initially, and I can provide some, in-process photos along the way.  The process involves:

Design the piece...this includes all clay pieces, in addition to hand crafted urns.
​How will it be made?

• will it include slab pieces of clay that are rolled out, cut and shaped? Or, wheel-thrown pots that will need a lid?  Are some parts needed that are extruded?
• Will there be texture on the piece?
• Will other pieces of clay be added to the base form?
• Will it need to have slip added (slip is soft clay like whipped cream) or terra sigilatta (extra fine slip to be brushed on and burnished)?

Creating/Making the piece
Whether throwing the form on the wheel, rolling out slabs or extruding pieces, all of these decisions need to be made prior to making the form.
After this, when the piece is in its (almost) final shape, it will need to be trimmed, "footed" and set aside to dry slowly.  If there are a number of added pieces, it may be necessary to cover the entire piece in plastic to slow-dry it in order for moisture to be equalized.  
Bisque Firing
When it is completely bone dry, it is ready for the first (bisque) firing.  This first firing causes a permanent chemical and physical change to the clay, transforming it into ceramic material.  It also helps to ensure that the glazes absorb into the surface.  It is not 'vitrified' at this point, but it makes the piece easier to handle when glazing.  This is a critical firing, since it must be done very slowly, bringing up the temperature in such a way to completely dry all the moisture out of the pieces.  It is also the most dangerous part of making, since one piece of pottery that is not completely dry can explode inside the kiln and ruin other pieces, as well as damage the kiln!
A bisque firing is slow, raising the temperature inside the kiln to between 1800-1950 degrees, and can take up to 36 hours from the time the pieces are loaded into the kiln, to when the temperature reaches a point low enough to remove the pieces from the kiln after firing...usually about 130 degrees.
Glaze Firing
The glaze process is usually more than just 'dunking' the pot in a glaze bucket! (Oh, if it were that easy...!)
​There are steps that are followed in this process also.

• After removing the pieces from the kiln, they are rinsed, waxed on the bottoms and anywhere two pieces will sit together, such as a lid and rim of the piece where they touch.  This is particularly true for Custom Ceramic Urns because they each need a lid of some kind.  If even a tiny bit of glaze gets into that place, the result could be that they are now 'permanently' bonded!  The entire piece, lid and all, must be trashed!
• Now the decision process takes place as to what glazes or underglazes will be used.
• Each piece is documented in a log to identify which glazes were used, in case it needs to be duplicated on another piece made like it...or if that glaze combination NEVER wants to be duplicated!
• Each glaze must be remixed each time it is used, due to settling of the components used to make the glaze.  Some are heavier and settle to the bottom, and the glaze could come out completely different than what was expected.
• After glazing and before firing, the piece must be checked for glaze that has accumulated on the places where wax was used, to ensure that no glaze had 'bubbled' on the wax and therefore needs to be removed.
• Only then can the pieces reloaded into the kiln for glaze firing.
• The kiln program is input onto the controller and turned on.

A glaze firing also takes up to 36 hours.  Unlike a bisque firing, a glaze firing can be fired faster to the vitrified state of 2165 degrees (for the cone 6 clay I use), since all the moisture has already been removed from the bisque pieces.  However, in my case, many of  glazes I use look much better with a 'slow cooling' process, allowing crystals to form in the individual glazes, making them much more appealing.  Even though the firing can be faster, the cool-down phase is what makes it an exciting glaze result!
Finishing the Piece
After removing from the kiln, each piece is examined.  Sometimes a rough spot on the bottom/foot is left after firing.  This must be scraped, sanded or ground off, in order for it not to make scratches on the surface where it will be displayed.  This is all part of the quality control put into making and finished piece, whether an urn, sculpture, bowl, mug or platter!

How to estimate the size of the cremation urn you need

 Sizes:  Typically 200 cubic inch capacity is recommended for an adult urn and 350-400 cubic inches for up to two adults.  Sizes vary for keepsake urns, pet urns and child urns (typically 1 lb. per cubic inch in volume).
Availability:  If a desired hand-crafted urn is in stock, it will ship in 3 business days. Other items are shipped within 30 days.  Send an email requesting the most recent inventory of items available. Since each vessel is individually created, there is not necessarily one on hand.  Custom orders are available.  
Selection:  Most of my hand-crafted urns are electric fired.  Some raku and pit fired pieces are also available.  Due to the nature of the materials and the firing process, colors, patterns and actual dimensions will vary with each urn. Every effort will be taken to ensure similar size volume and color.  Please contact me if you have an immediate need, would like assistance with your selection process, or want to discuss a custom urn request.
Keepsake Urns:  A Keepsake hand-crafted cremation urn is a small or very small vessel to hold a limited amount of ashes.  Sometimes a family will want a medium size urn and also 1,2, or 3 keepsake urns for each member of the family to have.  This can usually be done to resemble the original urn.
Smaller Size Urns:  Occasionally a family will want to spread or cast ashes of the loved one in a favorite spot, but would still like to keep some ashes.  This can easily be accommodated by purchasing a smaller size cremation urn.
Shipping:  Cremation urns can be shipped directly to you or to a funeral home, crematory or columbarium that you specify.  Each urn is shipped with a 2 mil plastic bag to hold the cremated remains, along with a cable tie wrap to secure the bag.  Typically the funeral home/crematory provide the remains in a similar bag.  You may decide to put one inside the other into the urn you purchase.

My Personal View on Urns
I make beautiful, creative custom hand crafted pottery urns to be displayed as a piece of art, to be enjoyed and cherished.  A few of my customers purchased their own hand crafted urn to enjoy while they are still here, with instructions to family members that their ashes are to be placed in the "vase"!  I prefer it not to look like a urn.  Some faiths require the ashes to be buried or placed in a mausoleum or columbarium.  Because these are custom ceramic urns, each one can be created to a specific size to fit in a columbarium that has restrictions on size.  Some will bury the urn in a plot next to a loved one who was not cremated.  My brother and I spread a few of my mother's ashes around the plot where our father and grandparents were buried.   A funeral director once told me that people bury $15,000-$20,000 caskets in the grave, why not bury an urn?  He said a customer of his was buried in his classic car!