New Mexico Company Transforms Human Remains Into Ceramics

People who aren’t into the idea of a traditional burial can have their cremated remains interred in an hourglass, pressed into a vinyl record, and even made into diamonds. Now, Vocativ reports, they can also opt for their ashes to be transformed into ceramic kitchenware or furnishings.

Chronicle Cremation Designs in Santa Fe, New Mexico, bills itself as a business that will transform “your loved one’s ashes into remarkable ceramic design objects for your home.” Customers supply the ashes (about a cup, or 100 grams) via a collection kit, and in turn, CCD will mix the ashes into a glaze that covers the pottery. Design options include vases, candleholders, mugs, bowls, and necklace pendants. And yes, the ceramics are functional: Once they’re fired in the kiln, they are officially safe for eating or drinking purposes.

Chronicle Cremation Designs founder Justin Crowe told The Guardian that his business was inspired by an art project called “Nourish,” in which he used ashes from more than 200 people to make a dish set for a dinner party. “I wanted to create a dinnerware set that infuses a sense of mortality into everyday life,” Crowe said.

People began asking the artist if he could transform their own relatives’ ashes into ceramics, and Crowe responded to the demand by launching a new venture. “Integrating someone’s ashes into ceramics is a way of infusing their memory into everyday life,” he told The Guardian. “So you can have coffee every morning with the memories of your grandfather, or have a bowl on the table to spark stories at family dinners.”

If the prospect of having morning coffee with your loved ones for the rest of eternity is more cozy than creepy, you can learn more about Chronicle Cremation Designs in the video below.

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