Place your order and immediately receive mailing instructions for sending your inclusion(s).
Send us a small amount of your chosen inclusion or a combination of materials such as ashes, flowers, hair, fur or fabric. Anything unused will be returned to you.
Receive your handcrafted memorial jewelry within 6–8 weeks.
Enjoy wearing your memorial jewelry, covered by a Lifetime Warranty, knowing you’re among 10,000+ happy customers.
Losing a beloved pet does not mean you need cremated remains to create a meaningful keepsake. Pet memorial jewelry without ashes can incorporate fur or hair, fabric and other small mementos, while other memorial-jewelry makers may create pieces based on paw prints, nose prints, or similar impressions. A keepsake can therefore still be possible if your pet was buried, their ashes were scattered, cremation was not chosen, or you simply prefer to preserve something else.
The options generally fall into two categories. Some jewelry physically incorporates a small amount of material—such as fur, hair, fabric, flowers, sand, or soil—into the piece. Other memorial jewelry reproduces an impression, such as a paw or nose print, through engraving, casting, or another print-based process.
For Petals and Keepsakes specifically, we work with ashes and flower petals and that most pieces can also be created with sand, soil, hair or fur, cloth, and certain other inclusions. Customers with an inclusion not listed are encouraged to contact the company first.
Source: Petals and Keepsakes, How to Order & FAQ (https://petalsandkeepsakes.com/pages/faq) Petals and Keepsakes
Depending on the maker and design, alternatives to cremated remains can include:
Fur or hair
Whiskers
A small piece of a collar, harness, bandana, blanket, bed, or favorite fabric
Dried flowers associated with a burial, memorial, or meaningful place
Small amounts of sand or soil, when accepted by the maker
Paw prints, pad prints, or nose prints reproduced through engraving, casting, or another print-based method
The biggest practical difference is whether the jewelry requires a physical inclusion or can be made from an image or impression. Fur memorial jewelry, for example, requires actual fur to be sent to the maker. Print-based jewelry may instead be created from an existing ink print, clay impression, or clear photograph, depending on the artist's process.
Because materials and construction methods vary considerably, always confirm what a particular maker can accept before mailing an irreplaceable keepsake. We ask customers to contact the company about materials not listed in its FAQ.
Source: Petals and Keepsakes FAQ (https://petalsandkeepsakes.com/pages/faq) Petals and Keepsakes
Fur memorial jewelry is one of the most straightforward alternatives when ashes are unavailable or simply aren't what you want to use.
Only a small amount is typically needed for this type of keepsake. The exact quantity depends on the piece and the maker, so confirm the amount before sending anything. Petals and Keepsakes, for example, ask our customers to send a small amount of their chosen inclusion and specifically identifies hair and fur among the materials it accepts. The company also says unused inclusion material is returned.
Fur can be arranged inside resin or another clear material so that the strands remain visible. How it looks will naturally vary with your pet's coat. Light-colored fur can be easier to see against a darker background, while dark fur can stand out against lighter or translucent surroundings. Mixed-color coats can create their own distinctive pattern.
If you are collecting fur while your pet is still living, a grooming appointment can provide an opportunity to save a small clipping. Keep it clean and dry, label it, and protect it rather than leaving the strands loose.
If you have fur that was saved years ago, don't automatically assume it is too old. Ask the jewelry maker whether its condition is suitable for the particular process being used.
Yes, whisker memorial jewelry is another possible form of pet keepsake, depending on the maker. A single whisker may be enough for some designs.
Whiskers are especially recognizable for cats, although dogs and other animals have them too. They can be displayed straight or gently curved inside clear resin or another enclosure and may sometimes be combined with fur.
Whiskers require careful handling because they can bend or break. If you're sending one to an artist who accepts whiskers, ask how it should be packaged and whether sending a spare is recommended. A shed whisker that you've saved can also be worth asking about.
Hair/fur but does not separately identify whiskers, contact the company before sending a whisker to confirm whether it can be incorporated into the specific design you're considering.
Print-based jewelry can be an option when you don't have ashes, fur, or another physical inclusion. Depending on the maker, a paw print necklace from an actual print may be created from an existing ink print, photograph, scan, or clay impression, meaning the pet may not need to be present when the jewelry itself is made.
Common methods include engraving a print onto a flat metal surface, casting a raised or recessed impression, or reproducing the shape or outline of a print.
If your pet is still living and you want to plan ahead, you can ask your veterinarian about obtaining an ink or clay paw print. If your pet has died and you remember a veterinary practice or pet aftercare provider taking a print, contact them to ask whether a copy is available. Practices and aftercare providers differ, so don't assume a print was made or retained.
The International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories provides information for pet parents and a directory of member aftercare providers.
Source: International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (https://www.iaopc.com/) IAOPC
For information about veterinary end-of-life care, the American Veterinary Medical Association and ASPCA also provide resources for pet owners.
Sources: American Veterinary Medical Association (https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/petcare/euthanasia) and ASPCA End of Life Care (https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/end-life-care) AVMA
If a maker accepts a photograph of an existing print, image quality matters. Place the print flat in even light and photograph it from directly above. Keep the entire print in frame and avoid shadows, glare, plastic, or glass between the camera and the print.
Send the original, full-resolution image rather than a screenshot or a photograph of a screen. If the maker requests a size reference, include one beside the print.
Most importantly, keep the original print whenever possible. If a physical copy must be mailed, ask whether a duplicate can be used instead. An original paw print may be irreplaceable.
A pet's fur or paw print isn't the only possibility. Depending on what a maker accepts, meaningful inclusions might include fabric from a favorite blanket or bandana, a clipping from a collar or harness, dried flowers from a memorial arrangement or garden, or even a little sand or soil from a meaningful place.
Flowers, hair/fur, cloth, sand, and soil are among the materials we use in many pieces. Its ordering instructions say customers receive mailing instructions after placing an order.
Not every organic material is appropriate for every jewelry-making process. Confirm unusual inclusions with the maker before mailing them.
Before sending something that cannot be replaced, ask the maker what materials they accept, exactly how much they need, how the inclusion should be packaged and mailed, whether unused material will be returned, how prints or images are handled, the expected production time, and what repair options are available.
Also ask one easy-to-overlook question: What happens to any material that isn't used?
Petals and Keepsakes currently states that unused inclusion material is returned to the customer and gives an estimated 6–8 week production timeframe after the package is received. The company also publishes specific mailing instructions for customers.
Source: Petals and Keepsakes FAQ (https://petalsandkeepsakes.com/pages/faq) Petals and Keepsakes
Even when a maker returns unused material, consider keeping part of an irreplaceable sample at home whenever the design allows. Follow the maker's exact mailing instructions rather than assuming all memorial materials should be shipped the same way.
There is no single material that has to represent a beloved companion. For one person it may be a lock of fur. For another it may be a paw print, a saved whisker, a piece of a favorite blanket, or flowers associated with a meaningful place.
The practical distinction is simple: fur, whiskers, fabric, and similar keepsakes require a physical sample, while some print-based pieces can be created from a clear image or existing impression. What matters most is choosing a material that has meaning to you and confirming that the maker can safely use it before anything irreplaceable is sent.
A keepsake is also separate from grief support. People looking for pet-loss resources can find support information through the Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement, a nonprofit organization focused on pet-loss and grief support.
Source: Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (https://www.aplb.org/) American Public Library Association
Yes. Depending on the maker, alternatives can include fur or hair, fabric, flowers, sand, soil, whiskers, and print-based keepsakes created from a paw or nose print. Hair/fur, cloth, flowers, sand, and soil are among the inclusions available for many of our pieces.
Source: https://petalsandkeepsakes.com/pages/faq Petals and Keepsakes
Typically only a small amount is needed, but the exact quantity depends on the design and maker. Ask before cutting or sending fur so you know exactly what is required.
In many print-based jewelry processes, yes. Whether a photograph can be used depends on the maker. A flat, clear, well-lit, high-contrast image taken directly above the print generally gives the artist better source material.
If your pet is living, ask your veterinarian about creating an ink or clay impression. If your pet has died and received veterinary or professional aftercare, contact the practice or aftercare provider to ask whether a print was taken and whether a copy remains available.
Some memorial-jewelry artists can incorporate whiskers. Because whiskers are brittle, ask the maker how they should be protected for shipping and whether more than one should be sent.
It may be. Fur that has remained clean and dry may still be suitable for some keepsake processes even after considerable time has passed. The maker should examine or discuss the sample before you assume it cannot be used.
es Unused inclusions are returned to the customer.