RS Designs

Q: How do I get the ashes into the urn?

A: Your funeral home will most likely do this for you for a small fee. Call them and ask for a quote. Some funeral homes may not perform the service if you did not buy the urn from them. However, it is illegal under federal law for a funeral home to decline a service just because you did not purchase everything from their business.  Personally, we feel this practice lacks dignity during an especially fragile time of need. It is common to ask a family member or close friend to help transfer the ashes. It is, after all, a sacred moment that can be done with dignity and honor.

Q: What is cremation?

A: Cremation is a form of disposition. The casket is placed in a cremation chamber where, through a process of heat and evaporation, the body is reduced to bone fragments, not ashes.

Q: With cremation, what type of funeral can we choose?

A: You can have "direct cremation" where the service is held after the cremation, or you can have a traditional funeral with visitation, with the cremation taking place after the service.

Q: Can cremated remains be scattered?

A: Yes, you may normally scatter the cremated remains of your loved one on public property and privately owned property with the consent of the property owner. If you choose scattering, especially on public land or sea, be sure to check your local, state and federal laws.

Q: What type of urn do I need?

A: Some of your Choices are:

• Keep all of the ashes in a single urn? Most of standard urns are large enough to contain all of the ashes of a single adult up to about 200 to 240 pounds. Standard adult urns are 180 - 220 cubic inches in capacity. The rule of thumb is one cubic inch of urn capacity for each pound of body weight before cremation.  Specialized companion urns, or double urns are designed large enough for two adults.
• Share some of the ashes with family or friends? Families choose urns of many types and sizes depending on the look or size they want. Some choose to share the ashes with friends and family. In this case, family members will usually choose their own "personal' keepsake or memorial that holds just a small amount of ash as a remembrance. Keepsake or memorial memento is popular for this purpose.
• Bury the urn? There are environmentally safe, biodegradable urns for burial at land or sea. Our marble urns can fit in a 11X11 vault to be buried in, that insures that the urn will remain protected once buried.
• Place the urn in a niche or columbarium? Columbarium and niches have their own requirements for type of urns and sizes. Check with the customer service department to make sure you know their requirements before purchasing a cremation urn.

Q: What size urn do I need?

A:

• a 240 lb. person needs an urn that is 200 cubic inches or larger
• a 200 lb. person needs an urn that is 180 cubic inches or larger
• a 150 lb. person needs an urn that is 130 cubic inches or larger
• a 100 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is 80 cubic inches or larger
• a 50 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is about 40 cubic inches or larger
• a 25 lb. person or pet needs an urn that is about 20 cubic inches or larger
• a 10 lb. or pet needs an urn that is about 8 cubic inches or larger
• The 1 to 1 ratio of Weight to Cubic Inches will insure you purchase an urn that is the right size 99% of the time.
• Urn capacity can only be too small. An urn is only too big if you think it is too big.
• Cremated remains (ashes) can vary in amount due to different cremation processes, temperature variations and the bone structure of the decedent. Buy an urn slightly larger than calculated to avoid having the urn be to small for the ashes.