Wearing your pet's ashes in Phoenix: jewelry options
By our estimate, about 615,000 households in Phoenix share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 51,000 of those pets die each year. A small wearable piece is one of the quieter ways people there keep them close.
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Phoenix, Arizona
Jewelers, glass artists and online makers near Phoenix
Many Phoenix residents moved here from other states, and families are often spread across the country. Dividing ashes into several small keepsake urns or pieces of cremation jewelry lets relatives in other places keep a share. Ask for paw prints and a fur clipping before cremation, and mention any keepsakes you want so the provider can set aside the right amount of ashes.
Arizona's human cremation rate is around 80 percent, and ashes kept at home or scattered in the desert are part of how many local families think about memorials. For a pet, that often means an urn on a shelf and perhaps a small portion scattered later somewhere with meaning. Before scattering on public land, check the rules for that area, and consider keeping a pinch in a keepsake urn or pendant.
Traffic, parking and busy weekend counters are the less gentle side of shopping for this in Phoenix. If a crowded store feels like too much right now, ask a jeweler for a quiet weekday appointment or an early slot before opening. Most are glad to offer one, and you'll have their full attention while they handle the ashes.
About 1,665,481 people live in Phoenix, which makes it the largest of the 29 Arizona communities we cover.
For a second opinion on price, Tempe (8 miles), Glendale (9 miles) and Scottsdale (9 miles) are close enough that their providers cover Phoenix routinely. Two written quotes tell you more than any price list.
Our estimate
615,000
How many dog- or cat-owning households Phoenix has (estimate)
How we calculated this
1,665,481 ÷ 2.5 = 666,192 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 615,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
51,000
Phoenix families who lose a dog or cat each year (estimate)
How we calculated this
615,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 51,000 a year. The real figure is unlikely to be lower.
53%[1]
53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households.
12.69 years[2]
US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years.
39%[3]
39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households.
11.18 years[4]
US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years.
The published sources behind those figures are Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry.
Local attitudes to keeping ashes close
With cremation this usual in Arizona (around 80.7%[5] of deaths), friends are less likely to ask why you chose ashes and more likely to ask what you chose. That can be a relief, though it can also bring plenty of well-meant advice. What matters is how the piece feels after a month of wearing it, so take your time choosing.
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) is where the Arizona figure comes from. It counts people; we use it because attitudes to cremating a pet in Phoenix tend to follow attitudes to cremation generally.
Phoenix weather, water and your memorial piece
Swimming season in Phoenix is long, and the one habit worth building is taking a filled pendant off before the pool or the beach. Chlorine is hard on sterling silver and plated finishes, salt water gets into threads, and sunscreen builds up in engraving. Fused glass and memorial diamonds are fine in water, but the chain and the clasp may not be. Rinse in fresh water and dry fully when you get home.
Heat is one reason some Phoenix families fill jewelry straight away but hold an outdoor scattering or tree planting for a cooler month. If older relatives will be there, an early morning outside April, May, June, July, August, September and October is kinder. Wearing the new pendant at that gathering ties the two memorials together.
How much to budget for a memorial piece
Prices depend far more on the material than on where you live. Across US retailers, a stainless steel ash pendant starts from $19.95[6], sterling silver necklaces run $88–$298[7], and a solid 14k gold pendant costs $1,298–$4,750[8]. That's why entry-level silver is about 4.4 times entry-level steel[9], and entry-level gold about 15 times silver[10]. A Phoenix jeweler may charge a little more or less, but these are the ranges to compare against.
The Arizona 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.
Before you divide the ashes: Arizona basics
There are very few rules about what you do with a pet's ashes. Keeping them at home, dividing them between family members and sealing a pinch in a pendant are all yours to decide. Where rules do come in is scattering the rest, burying them and sending them by post, which is why it's worth knowing the basics for Arizona before you decide what happens to the ashes that don't go into jewelry.
City of Phoenix Public Works publishes Phoenix's official guidance. Note that it deals with public collection, not with booking a private cremation. Not sure which office covers Phoenix? The Arizona local government directory is the official list.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Arizona level first; our Arizona rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Phoenix or your HOA adds anything.
Your order, one step at a time
- Look at the ashes you have. Most come back gritty and uneven, so for a tiny chamber it helps to pass them through a small sieve or flatten the larger grains gently using a spoon's back.
- Buy or commission the piece. A self-fill pendant comes within days; glass, resin and ring work run to weeks; a diamond is a matter of months.
- Fill at a calm moment. Clear the table, lay down paper, have the kit's funnel ready, and shut the window and turn off any fan.
- Seal the screw. Apply the adhesive that came with it, clean off any that squeezes out, and let it set before wearing.
- Tell the people who'll wear the others. Send pieces for relatives in other cities by tracked post, with a short note about care.
- Keep the rest of the ashes safe. The urn, a scattering or a burial can all come later.
Other ways to remember your pet in Phoenix
Outdoor memorials in Phoenix have to cope with intense sun and dry heat. Engraved stone, metal and ceramic hold up far better than wood or resin, and dark surfaces can get too hot to touch in summer. If you want to plant something with a tree urn, choose a desert-adapted species such as a palo verde or mesquite, plant in the cooler months, and set up drip irrigation for the first few summers.
go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, Compare every option on our services page, use the free tools before you ring anyone, or see what other families chose in the poll results. More local pages: Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler and Glendale, the Arizona overview and every city in the United States.
Reader polls
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If you wore something with your pet's ashes, what would it be?
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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
Roughly how many pets die in Phoenix each year?
Our estimate is around 51,000. It comes from Phoenix's population (about 1,665,481), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 615,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Is cremation common in Arizona?
For people, yes: about 80.7%[5] of Arizona deaths end in cremation, according to NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). Nobody publishes the same figure for pets, but in our experience pet choices in Phoenix follow the human pattern closely, so cremation is the default most families here start from.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Phoenix?
Usually yes. Tempe is about 8 miles away, Glendale is about 9 miles away and Scottsdale is about 9 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Does the Phoenix climate change what I should do first?
Only the timing. In July, with highs near 107°F, cool the body and book collection the same day. Winters here are mild enough that burial or scattering is possible in any month.
How many pet owners in Phoenix might want a keepsake?
By our estimate, roughly 51,000 dogs and cats die in Phoenix each year, out of about 615,000 households that have one. One market study found 51%[12] of pet owners are interested in personalized memorials. That's a lot of families thinking about how to keep a pet close, and jewelry is one of the most portable ways.
Can I get my pet's paw or nose print engraved on jewelry?
Yes. A laser engraver can put your pet's actual print on a pendant, ring or tag, working from an ink print, a clay impression or a sharp photo. A custom sterling silver print charm costs $143 + chain[13] at one US maker. Always ask for a proof first, because smudged prints can engrave as blotches.
Sources and our estimates
- [1] 53% of US households own a dog, which is about 71 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [2] US dogs have an average life expectancy at birth of 12.69 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [3] 39% of US households own a cat, which is about 53 million households. American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, 2025.
- [4] US cats seen at Banfield hospitals have an average life expectancy at birth of 11.18 years. Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science - Banfield Pet Hospital life expectancy tables (13.3 million dogs, 2.4 million cats, 2013-2019), 2023.
- [5] The NFDA projected Arizona's cremation rate at 80.7% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Memorials.com sells stainless steel pet-ash necklaces from $19.95, most under $30. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [7] Sterling silver pet-ash necklaces at Memorials.com cost $87.95–$297.95. Memorials.com – Pet ashes necklaces, 2026.
- [8] 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.
- [9] Entry-level sterling silver pet-ash necklaces cost about 4.4 times entry-level stainless steel ones. Our estimate: $87.95 / $19.95 (Memorials.com starting prices). How we calculate.
- [10] Entry-level solid 14k gold pet-ash pendants cost about 15 times entry-level sterling silver ones at the same retailer. Our estimate: $1,297.95 / $87.95 (Memorials.com starting prices). How we calculate.
- [11] The cheapest advertised memorial diamond costs about 8 times a typical sterling silver ashes pendant. Our estimate: $995 (EverDear colorless from) / $129 (Urns.com sterling silver median). How we calculate.
- [12] Astute Analytica reports 51% of pet owners are interested in personalized memorials and 70% consider memorialization significant. Astute Analytica via GlobeNewswire — Global Pet Preservation Services Market to Hit USD 112.7 Million by 2032 (Apr 2, 2024), 2024.
- [13] A custom sterling silver actual-paw-print charm costs $143 before the chain (about $59–$79 for silver) and takes about 2 weeks to make. String of Jewels – Actual paw print necklace, 2026.
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