Wearing your pet's ashes in Shanghai: jewelry options
Whether your pet was cremated last week or years ago, it isn't too late for a memorial piece. We explain the options for Shanghai plainly, from simple steel to memorial diamonds with long lead times.
- Pendants, rings, glass and diamonds
- How to mail ashes to a maker safely
- Written prices before you commit
Shanghai, China
Where Shanghai families get memorial jewelry made
Land for graves is scarce in Shanghai, and the city has long encouraged sea burial for people. Some pet owners take a similar approach, preferring to scatter ashes or use a biodegradable urn rather than keep a permanent marker. If you'd like to scatter, check the rules for the place you have in mind, and consider keeping a small share at home in a keepsake.
Cremation is normal for people in China, about half of deaths nationally and far more in cities, so keeping a pet's ashes feels familiar in Shanghai. Space is the main constraint: a small urn on a bookshelf, a keepsake with a little ash, or a framed paw print suits most apartments. Choose something you'll want to see every day, not just something that looks good in a catalogue.
Shopping in person around Shanghai is also the easiest way to deal with metal allergies and ring sizes. A jeweler can size your finger properly, at a time of day when your hands aren't swollen, and let you wear a sample for ten minutes to see whether the metal irritates your skin. Mail-in makers usually send plastic ring sizers, which work, but they can't tell you that a titanium band feels lighter than you expected or that a pendant sits too low on a short chain.
With roughly 24,870,000 residents, Shanghai is one of the China communities we cover.
50%[1]
China's cremation rate passed 50% for the first time in 2019.
from $19.95[2]
Memorials.com sells stainless steel pet-ash necklaces from $19.95, most under $30.
$88–$298[3]
Sterling silver pet-ash necklaces at Memorials.com cost $87.95–$297.95.
a pinch (at most about a teaspoon)[4]
An ashes pendant holds only a pinch of cremated remains (the retailer says at most about a teaspoon; most pendants hold far less), and most come with a small funnel fill kit.
How China feels about cremation, and what that means for jewelry
Cremation sits at about 50%[1] for people in China. If you grew up somewhere burial was the norm, wearing ashes may feel new, and there's no need to rush into it. Wear an empty pendant for a week first and notice whether it becomes part of your day or feels like a weight. Then decide whether to fill it.
Wikipedia: Cremation by country (2019) is where the China figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Shanghai tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Shanghai weather, water and your memorial piece
If you're mailing ashes from Shanghai to a maker, weather mostly affects how long the parcel takes. Send early in the week, use tracking and a signature, and ask the maker to confirm arrival. The ashes themselves aren't harmed by heat or cold; only resin pieces coming back need to avoid long hot waits.
Prices by metal, glass and diamond
Humidity and price both favor simple metals. Stainless steel pendants (from $19.95[2]) and titanium pieces resist tarnish better than silver wherever summers are humid, and they cost far less than the $1,298–$4,750[5] a solid gold pendant runs at one US retailer. A local jeweler in Shanghai can usually fill and seal either kind.
The China price table breaks costs down by product; our services page explains what sits behind each line.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Wearing ashes is your call; the rest has rules in China
Filling a memorial pendant isn't a regulated job in most places, China included, so ask a jeweler or crematory how they store and label a portion rather than assuming a rule covers it. A sealed bag with your pet's name on it, kept apart from other work, is a fair expectation. The public rules that do exist concern burial and scattering, summarized below.
A calm plan for getting the piece made
- Wait until you're ready. Ashes don't deteriorate, so a piece can be made whenever it feels right.
- Collect prints and fur early if you can. Paw prints, nose prints and fur can only be taken before cremation, and they open up more options later.
- Measure carefully. Ring size at the end of the day, chain length against your collarbone, and ask each relative about metal allergies.
- Ask the maker how they handle ashes. Find out the quantity they want, the way each portion is labeled, and what happens to any ash left over.
- If you mail ashes, pack them properly. Seal them in a small bag, cushion it inside a sturdy box and use the service the maker names, with tracking.
- Approve a proof of the engraving, especially a paw or nose print, and only then let the maker start.
Remembering your pet, in Shanghai and beyond
Many Shanghai families remember their pets at Qingming in spring, with flowers or a photo on a small shelf at home. Others prefer something personal and portable, such as jewelry holding a little ash, or a memorial stone for a balcony garden. If relatives in other cities want to share in the memorial, ask whether the ashes can be divided before they're returned.
or look at how readers voted in our polls, Compare every option on our services page, try the free planning tools, read our guides and latest articles. You can also browse every city in China.
Reader polls
What would you choose?
Vote anonymously and see how other readers answered. The results are live counts from people who visit this site, so they show real opinions, not a scientific sample.
If you wore something with your pet's ashes, what would it be?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
What worries you most about wearing your pet's ashes?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Free tools to help you plan
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Jewelry ash capacity guide
How much ash fits in pendants, rings and glass, and how many pieces one pet can fill.
Ashes sharing planner
Split ashes fairly between family members, keepsake urns and jewelry.
Questions people ask
How do China attitudes to cremation compare?
Wikipedia: Cremation by country (2019) puts the China human cremation rate at about 50%[1]. We show it on the Shanghai page because pet aftercare choices tend to track it: where cremation is normal for people, communal and private pet cremation are both easy to find.
Can I send my pet's ashes by post from Shanghai?
Often yes within the country, but rules differ by postal service and many restrict sending ashes abroad. Check the current rules with the national post or a courier before you pack anything, and ask the maker how they want it sent. If sending feels risky, a self-fill pendant filled at home or by a local jeweler avoids mailing ashes at all.
What metal should I choose if I have sensitive skin?
Titanium, niobium, platinum and nickel-free gold are the safest choices. Solid sterling silver suits most people but tarnishes. Surgical stainless steel is tough and inexpensive but contains some nickel, so very sensitive skin may react. If you can, try a sample from a Shanghai jeweler for a few hours before ordering a sealed piece.
Is cremation jewelry safe for children to wear?
For younger children, a piece with a sealed chamber and a breakaway cord is safer than a long chain, and a glass bead or a charm kept in a special box may be better still. Older children often love wearing a small pendant. Whatever you choose, make sure the screw is sealed with adhesive.
How long does a memorial diamond take to make?
Much longer than any other piece. One US lab quotes 7–10 months[7] from submission to delivery, a Swiss lab about 12 months[8], and across three providers the average is about 8.5 months[6]. If you want something to wear sooner, many people order a simple pendant first and add the diamond later.
How do I fill a cremation pendant at home?
Work over a sheet of paper on a clear table. Unscrew the chamber, use the small funnel or straw from the kit to add a pinch of ash, tap gently to settle it, then add a drop of the supplied adhesive to the thread and screw it closed. Wipe off any excess and leave it to cure overnight before wearing.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] China's cremation rate passed 50% for the first time in 2019. Wikipedia: Cremation by country, 2019.
- [2] Memorials.com sells stainless steel pet-ash necklaces from $19.95, most under $30. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [3] Sterling silver pet-ash necklaces at Memorials.com cost $87.95–$297.95. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [4] An ashes pendant holds only a pinch of cremated remains (the retailer says at most about a teaspoon; most pendants hold far less), and most come with a small funnel fill kit. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [5] Solid 14k gold pet-ash pendants at Memorials.com cost $1,297.95–$4,749.95; gold-plated ones $87.95–$169.95. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [6] Memorial diamond production takes about 8.5 months on average across three providers' stated timelines, ranging from 4 to 12 months. Our estimate: mean of midpoints: Eterneva 7–10 (8.5), LONITÉ 12, Saint Diamonds 4–6 (5) = (8.5+12+5)/3. How we calculate.
- [7] Eterneva says a pet memorial diamond takes about 7–10 months from submission to delivery. Eterneva – Pet Ashes to Diamonds, 2026.
- [8] LONITÉ says a pet memorial diamond takes about 12 months, with a 50% deposit to start. LONITÉ – Pet cremation diamonds, 2026.
Ask for Shanghai memorial jewelry prices
Tell us what you need and where you are. We'll reply by email with clear options and prices so you can decide in your own time.