Wearing your pet's ashes in Edgewood: jewelry options
Around 90 dogs and cats die in Edgewood each year, by our estimate, and many families keep a little of the ashes to wear. Here's what pendants, glass and diamonds cost and how to get one filled safely.
- Pendants, rings, glass and diamonds
- How to mail ashes to a maker safely
- Written prices before you commit
Edgewood, Florida
Local maker or mail-in: the Edgewood picture
The lakes keep the air damp, and together with Orlando's strong sun they break down outdoor memorials quickly. Printed plaques and painted wood fade and peel; lettering cut into granite lasts far longer. Anything placed near the shoreline should sit on gravel, above where the water climbs after a storm. Inside the house, keep urns and photographs on walls that do not catch direct window light.
Edgewood homes usually have a modest yard, which leaves room for a small outdoor tribute: a flat stone among the flowers, a potted plant on the porch, or a plaque by the back door. Inside, a little urn on a shelf, a paw print in a frame, or a charm on a chain holding a little of the ashes keeps the pet close.
In a smaller place like Edgewood, there may not be a jeweler who handles cremation pieces, and that's normal. Most families here buy a self-fill pendant by mail, fill it at home with the small funnel it comes with and seal the screw with the adhesive in the kit. It takes ten quiet minutes. If you'd rather not do it yourself, a jeweler in a larger centre such as Orlando may fill it for you.
Edgewood is home to about 2,845 people, the 202nd-largest of the 235 Florida communities we cover. Orlando, roughly 4 miles off, is the closest larger centre, and a share of the providers who cover Edgewood run from there.
Edgewood sits within easy reach of Pine Castle (1 miles, a larger centre), Belle Isle (2 miles, a larger centre) and Sky Lake (2 miles). A provider based in any of them will usually collect from Edgewood; ask what the mileage adds to the bill.
Our estimate
1,050
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Edgewood
How we calculated this
2,845 ÷ 2.5 = 1,138 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 1,050. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
90
dog and cat deaths per year in Edgewood, our estimate
How we calculated this
1,050 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 90 a year. A floor, not a ceiling.
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.
What local customs mean for a memorial piece
With cremation this usual in Florida (around 72.5%[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.
The Florida figure comes from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It describes people, not pets, so read it as a sign of local attitudes rather than a pet statistic.
Edgewood weather, water and your memorial piece
Long, bright summers around Edgewood are hard on blackened and oxidized detail. The dark fill that makes a paw print stand out on silver can fade faster with sweat and sunscreen through May, June, July, August and September. Ask the maker whether the print is engraved deep enough to hold its oxidation, and whether they'll refresh it if it wears.
Edgewood summers are hot, with July highs around 92°F, and that matters most for resin. Resin pieces holding fur or ash can soften, cloud or yellow when left in a hot car, on a sunny windowsill or on a dashboard, so take them off before a long drive and store them somewhere cool and dark. Glass, metal and diamonds don't mind the heat at all.
How much to budget for a memorial piece
Prints and fur are the inexpensive part if you plan early. By our estimate, paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32[6], ranging from $10 to $76, and a fur clipping can cost as little as $5[7]. Have them done before cremation in Edgewood, even if the jewelry order comes months later, because they can't be made afterwards.
The full price table by product is on our Florida page, and the services page explains what each option includes.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
Before you divide the ashes: Florida basics
Filling a memorial pendant isn't a regulated job in most places, Florida 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.
The official Florida local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Edgewood.
The rules that apply across Florida (home burial, scattering and who oversees pet cremation) are summarized on our Florida page. Edgewood may add its own conditions, so check with the city or county before digging.
Your order, one step at a time
- List everyone who might want something, and don't forget those who were close to your pet but haven't said anything.
- Ask each person three things: whether they'd prefer a necklace, a ring or a keyring; what metal sits well on their skin; and if they want ashes inside, fur, or just a print.
- Work out how far the ashes go. Once you know the number of pieces, the sharing planner works out how to divide them.
- Order the set from one maker to keep the finish, the chains and the engraving consistent, and check if there's a different price for a set.
- Fill every piece in one sitting, so the urn is opened a single time and sealed up properly when you're done.
- Post far-away pieces with tracking, each in its own little box alongside a care card and a few written words.
Sharing the memory with family
Many families in Edgewood have lived here for decades and said goodbye to several pets over the years. Some keep a small shelf or corner with each pet's urn, photo and collar, a quiet record of the animals who shared the house. Others prefer to scatter ashes privately or plant a tree. The decision can wait as long as you like.
Our services overview lays out every option side by side, use the free tools before you ring anyone, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, or look at how readers voted in our polls. Close to Edgewood we also cover Miami, Orlando, Port St. Lucie and Tampa; the full list for Florida and for the United States is a click away.
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.
What worries you most about wearing your pet's ashes?
Tap an answer to vote and see how others answered. Anonymous.
Who fills the piece with ashes?
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If you had to decide today, which aftercare would you choose for your pet?
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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
Will I have to travel to Orlando to arrange things?
Not usually. Providers based in Orlando (roughly 4 miles from Edgewood) collect from here as a matter of routine, and the paperwork is done by email or phone. If you want to be present for a witnessed cremation, that is when the drive matters.
Why does the Edgewood page quote a human cremation rate?
Because it is the best local signal we have. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) reports about 72.5%[5] of Florida residents are cremated. There is no official pet equivalent, and inventing one would be worse than quoting a real, clearly labelled number.
Can a provider from a neighbouring town collect from Edgewood?
Usually yes. Pine Castle is about 1 miles away, Belle Isle is about 2 miles away and Sky Lake is about 2 miles away, all inside a normal collection radius. Get the mileage written into the quote so there is no surprise on the day.
Roughly how many pets die in Edgewood each year?
Our estimate is around 90. It comes from Edgewood's population (about 2,845), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 1,050 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
Can I mail my pet's ashes to a jewelry maker from Edgewood?
Yes. In the US, the Postal Service is the carrier that accepts cremated remains, and it requires Priority Mail Express with its dedicated cremated remains label on the box. Seal the ashes in a small bag, cushion it inside a sturdy box and keep the tracking number. Most private couriers won't knowingly carry ashes, so check with the maker before using one. Many makers send a prepaid kit.
Who can fill a memorial pendant near Edgewood?
Try the crematory that handled your pet first; many fill pendants they sell and some will fill one you bought elsewhere. Local jewelers who do repairs are the next option. If no one nearby does it, filling at home is simple: the kit comes with a funnel and adhesive, and it takes about ten minutes.
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 Florida's cremation rate at 72.5% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] Paw-print add-ons at US crematories have a median price of about $32, from $10 to $76. Our estimate: median of [$10 clay (AGP), $15 laser engraving (AGP), $49 ink (Final Gift), $76 clay (Final Gift)]. How we calculate.
- [7] Memorial add-ons at A Greener Place: $15 laser-engraved paw print, $10 clay paw impression, $10 nose print, $5 fur clipping. A Greener Place Pet Aquamation – Pricing, 2026.
- [8] 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.
Tell us what you'd like to wear
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.