Thumbprint Urns and Keepsakes: How They Work and Cost

A thumbprint urn is an urn, keepsake or piece of jewelry engraved with a copy of a loved one's thumbprint or fingerprint. Most hold only a small share of the ashes. The print has to be captured before cremation, usually by the funeral home, so ask early. In September 2026, Jewelry Keepsakes listed its thumbprint necklaces that hold ashes at $166.95.

What is a thumbprint urn?

The term covers a few different things. Most people mean one of two kinds of piece:

• A keepsake or pendant with a thumbprint engraved on its face and a small chamber for a pinch of ashes. Jewelry Keepsakes describes a pendant where the bail (the loop at the top) unscrews so you can add the ashes.
• A full-size or keepsake urn that has a fingerprint engraved or added as a personal detail. Ask the maker what it can do, since options vary.

Both are a personalized version of ordinary memorial products. Our guides to keepsake urns and to fingerprint memorial jewelry cover the wider range of pieces, including rings, bracelets and keychains.

How do you get a fingerprint before cremation?

The print cannot be taken once the cremation has happened, so this is the step with a deadline. If you want one, say so when you make the arrangements.

1. Ask the funeral home or crematory. Some can take an ink print or a digital scan before cremation. Ask whether they do it, whether there is a fee, and who must give permission.
2. Send the print to the maker. Jewelry Keepsakes says it can work directly with the funeral home to get the thumbprint image, or you can upload one on the product page.
3. Look for another print if none was taken. An old ink print on a card or record may be usable. Ask the maker what it accepts.

A clear, high-contrast print works best. If you take one yourself, ask the maker for its preferred format first, because methods and file requirements differ. A fingerprint is personal information, so send it only to a maker you have checked.

How do thumbprint keepsakes hold ashes?

Jewelry Keepsakes says its regular cremation jewelry has a small internal chamber reached through a threaded opening, usually hidden under a screw or in the bail. A funnel, filling pin and instructions come with the piece. Its permanently sealed jewelry is filled by the maker and welded shut, and needs less than 1/8 teaspoon of ashes.

That is a tiny amount. The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) says adult remains average four to six pounds, so most families keep the rest in a larger urn. If you want a full-size urn as well, Memorials.com gives the usual guideline: one cubic inch of capacity per pound of body weight, and standard adult urns hold about 200 cubic inches.

How much do they cost?

Prices below are what the makers listed in September 2026 and will change.

Jewelry Keepsakes also sells fingerprint-engraved pendants, rings, bracelets and keychains, with some pieces from around $189, for families who want the print without the ashes. Our guide to cremation jewelry cost explains what pushes the price up.

What should you check before you order?

• The print and the wording. Jewelry Keepsakes does not accept returns of engraved jewelry, including fingerprint engraving, so check the image and any text.
• What goes inside. Returns are also not accepted on jewelry filled with ashes, hair or soil from a burial site.
• The chain. Ask whether one is included, and whether it is strong enough for everyday wear.
• Water. Jewelry Keepsakes describes only its permanently sealed pieces as waterproof, so keep a fill-it-yourself piece dry.
• Faith. The Catholic Church's 2016 instruction says ashes may not be divided among family members or kept in mementos or jewelry. See our Catholic cremation guide, and ask your faith leader if you are unsure about other traditions.

What to do next

1. Decide before cremation whether you want a print, and ask the funeral home to capture it.
2. Choose between a permanently sealed piece and one you fill yourself.
3. Set aside a small portion of the ashes, and agree with family who will keep what. Our guide to dividing ashes among family can help.
4. Compare makers with our cremation jewelry company comparison.