Keeping your pet close in Miami: pendants, rings and glass
By our estimate, about 180,000 households in Miami share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 15,000 of those pets die each year. A small wearable piece is one of the quieter ways people there keep them close.
- Pendants, rings, glass and diamonds
- How to mail ashes to a maker safely
- Written prices before you commit
Miami, Florida
Where Miami families get memorial jewelry made
Florida has a high cremation rate for people, and many Miami families are comfortable keeping or scattering ashes. Some want to scatter part of a pet's ashes at sea or on Biscayne Bay; if so, go out on a boat and scatter well offshore, away from swimmers, and check any rules. Many families hold a little back in a keepsake so the whole of their pet is not gone out with the tide.
Miami's sun, salt air and humidity are hard on outdoor memorials. Painted wood rots and many plastics fade, while stone, stainless steel and glazed ceramic last longer. In a condo, a small urn, framed paw print or potted plant on the balcony works well. If you have a garden, a native plant such as a coontie or firebush can be a living memorial.
Mail-in makers are part of life for most Miami families choosing anything beyond a simple pendant. Rings with sealed ash windows, engraved paw print charms and memorial diamonds are usually made in specialist workshops, not local shops. That's fine. What matters is how the maker wants the ashes packed, how they track your parcel and whether they return any ash they don't use.
About 489,812 people live in Miami, which makes it the 2nd-largest of the 235 Florida communities we cover.
Our pages for Miami Beach (4 miles), Coral Gables (7 miles) and Hialeah (9 miles) describe the same choices from those towns' point of view, and the providers overlap, so a quote from one often covers Miami as well.
Our estimate
180,000
Miami: dog- or cat-owning households, our estimate
How we calculated this
489,812 ÷ 2.5 = 195,925 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 180,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
15,000
dog and cat deaths per year in Miami, our estimate
How we calculated this
180,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 15,000 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.
We built the this numbers from Montoya et al. 2023, Frontiers in Veterinary Science and American Pet Products Association (APPA) 2025 State of the Industry, and both are worth a look if you want the detail.
Cremation habits in Florida
Cremation is the norm in Florida, at about 72.5%[5] of people. Where it's this common, people often keep a small share of ashes and pass the rest on, to be scattered, buried or kept by another relative. Jewelry fits neatly into that habit. Many families here plan the split from the start: a pinch for each pendant, a little for scattering and the rest in the urn.
We take the Florida rate from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024). It is a human statistic; there is no equivalent pet figure for Miami, and we would rather show a real number than invent one.
Miami weather, water and your memorial piece
Miami summers are hot, with August highs around 91°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.
Heat makes fingers swell, so a ring that fits in a cool Miami morning can feel tight by mid-afternoon in August. If you're ordering a ring with ashes, measure your finger late in the day in warm weather and ask the maker whether a comfort-fit band suits your size. A sealed ash ring usually can't be resized easily, so a little extra room is safer than a snug fit.
How much to budget for a memorial piece
The typical sterling silver pet cremation pendant costs about $190[6], based on the middle of three sellers' price points, while fused glass beads with ash list around $245[7] at one US provider. Ask any Miami maker what's included: filling, sealing, the chain, engraving and return postage are sometimes separate lines that add up quickly.
The Florida 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 Florida
Before you split the ashes, it helps to know what you'll do with the part that won't go into jewelry, because that's where Florida's rules come in. Scattering on land you don't own, burying in a shared garden and releasing ashes into water can each carry conditions. The piece you wear carries none.
Miami-Dade County Animal Services publishes Miami's official guidance. Note that it deals with public collection, not with booking a private cremation. The official Florida local government directory lists every county and city office, which is the quickest way to find who to ask in Miami.
Home burial and scattering are governed at the Florida level first; our Florida rules summary has the detail. Then check whether Miami or your HOA adds anything.
A simple order checklist
- 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. Size a ring late in the day, hold a chain to your collarbone to judge length, and check with each relative about metals that irritate their skin.
- Ask the maker how they handle ashes. How much they need, how they label it, whether they return what they don't use.
- If you mail ashes, pack them properly. Put them in a sealed bag first, pad that bag inside a strong box, and send it by the tracked carrier the maker tells you to use.
- Approve a proof of the engraving, especially a paw or nose print, and only then let the maker start.
Sharing the memory with family
Miami's many cultures bring different traditions of remembering. Some families place a pet's photo and ashes on a home altar with candles and flowers; others choose a simple urn, a paw print keepsake or a pendant with a little ash. In Cuban, Haitian, Colombian and other households, prayers and family gatherings are often part of saying goodbye. There is no single way to do it here.
try the free planning tools, or look at how readers voted in our polls, go deeper with the guides or catch up on recent articles, See what each option includes on our services page. Close to Miami we also cover Jacksonville, Tampa, Port St. Lucie and St. Petersburg; 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.
Would you get a piece for anyone else in the family?
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
Roughly how many pets die in Miami each year?
Our estimate is around 15,000. It comes from Miami's population (about 489,812), the average household size, the share of homes with a dog or cat (about 180,000 households here) and the average lifespan. It is arithmetic, not a count, so read it as a rough floor.
When is the hardest time of year to arrange a burial in Miami?
There is no frozen-ground season here; average lows stay above freezing all year. The other pressure point is August, when highs around 91°F mean a body needs cooling and collecting quickly.
Why does the Miami 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.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Miami?
The closest communities we cover are Miami Beach (about 4 miles), Coral Gables (about 7 miles) and Hialeah (about 9 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Miami too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Do I need the cremation certificate to order ash jewelry?
Usually not for a pendant you fill yourself or have filled locally. Some mail-in makers and most memorial-diamond labs ask for it, or for a signed form, to confirm what they're receiving and whose ashes they are. Keep it with the urn; it's also useful if you ever carry ashes on a flight or across a border.
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.
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] The typical sterling silver pet cremation pendant costs about $190, based on the middle of three sellers' price points. Our estimate: median of [Urns.com median $129, Memorials.com midpoint of $87.95–$297.95 = $193, Final Gift sterling paw pendant $240]. How we calculate.
- [7] Final Gift's pet memorial jewelry runs from a $60 urn pendant to $290–$420 for custom sterling silver print charms, with glass ash beads at $245. Final Gift Pet Memorial Center – Memorial Products, 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.
Ask for Miami 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.