Pet cremation jewelry in Urbandale
By our estimate, about 18,000 households in Urbandale share their home with a dog or cat, and roughly 1,500 of those pets die each year. A small wearable piece is one of the quieter ways people there keep them close.
- Pieces for relatives in other cities
- Allergy-friendly metals and ring sizing
- No obligation, we reply by email
Urbandale, Iowa
Who fills and seals ash jewelry around Urbandale
Some Urbandale families hold on to ashes for months before deciding, which is completely fine. When they do decide, they often split them: one urn for the house, a small portion for a garden, and keepsake jewelry for a grown child. If you'd like a clay paw impression or a lock of fur, say so at the start, since it has to be taken beforehand.
Cold is the main enemy of outdoor memorials in central Iowa. Water seeps into porous stone, freezes, and splits it; resin fades and cracks. Granite and bronze shrug it off for decades. Newer lots on the west side often have compacted clay and sprinkler lines just under the turf, so find out where they run before digging. Setting a marker flush with the lawn keeps it clear of mower blades.
In a smaller place like Urbandale, 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 Des Moines may fill it for you.
About 48,570 people live in Urbandale, which makes it the 12th-largest of the 27 Iowa communities we cover. Some of the providers who serve Urbandale are based about 9 miles away in Des Moines, the nearest larger centre, so collection times reflect that drive.
If you want to compare providers, look at Clive (2 miles), Johnston (5 miles) and West Des Moines (6 miles). Distance matters because pickup fees and the time until the ashes come back both grow with the drive.
Our estimate
18,000
Estimated dog- or cat-owning households in Urbandale
How we calculated this
48,570 ÷ 2.5 = 19,428 households; × 53% (dog) + 39% (cat) = 18,000. Multi-pet homes count once.
Our estimate
1,500
dog and cat deaths per year in Urbandale, our estimate
How we calculated this
18,000 dog/cat-owning homes ÷ average lifespan (dog: 12.69 yrs + cat: 11.18 yrs) ≈ 1,500 a year. Treat it as a minimum.
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.
Where these figures come from: 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
Cremation is now the majority choice for people in Iowa, at about 63.6%[5], and pet cremation has followed along. Memorial jewelry is widely available here, though not every local jeweler has filled a cremation pendant. If the first shop hesitates, try one that does repairs or engraving, or a pet crematory that sells pieces at the counter.
The Iowa percentage above is from NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) and refers to human funerals. Treat it as context for Urbandale, not as a count of pets.
How the local climate affects fit, seals and finish
Dry winter air in Urbandale brings static, and static makes fine ashes cling to funnels, spoons and fingers. If you're filling a pendant at home during January, February, March, November and December, work over a sheet of paper in a room without a fan or open window, and wipe the funnel with a slightly damp cloth before you start. It helps the ash slide instead of sticking.
Dry indoor heating during Urbandale's winter is actually kind to sterling, because tarnish slows when the air is dry. That makes it a sensible season to order silver and fill a pendant at home: ash doesn't clump in low humidity, though a damp cloth on the funnel helps with static. Only rings and glass need extra winter care.
How much to budget for a memorial piece
If a paw print matters more to you than ashes, a custom sterling silver charm made from your pet's actual print costs $143 + chain[6], and paw and nose print pendants at one large retailer start from $99.95[7]. Those can be combined with an ash chamber or worn alongside one. The table shows the rest of the range for Urbandale buyers.
For a line-by-line price table, see the Iowa overview; for what's included in each option, see our services.
Free tool
Memorial budget planner
Add up cremation, urn, keepsakes and a farewell so the total holds no surprises.
What Iowa allows with your pet's ashes
Pet ashes are handled very differently from human remains in most places, Iowa included. There's no register, no permit to divide them and no limit on how many pieces you make. Rules only return when ashes leave your home, whether onto public land, into water or into the mail. Here's what applies locally.
Not sure which office covers Urbandale? The Iowa local government directory is the official list.
We keep Iowa's burial and scattering rules in one place: the Iowa rules summary. Before a home burial in Urbandale, also ask the city whether local ordinances add anything.
From ashes to pendant in Urbandale: the steps
- Take fur now, from somewhere hidden. Snip a little from the chest or beneath the collar and store it in a named envelope; that clipping keeps resin pieces, and some diamonds, possible later.
- Make a print on a calm day. A pet-safe ink pad or a salt-dough impression gives an engraver something crisp to work from; a photo of the paw pad on a pale background is a decent backup.
- Tell your vet what you'd like. Ask them to note individual cremation with ashes returned and a teaspoon bagged separately, so nobody has to ask you on the hardest day.
- Browse without buying. Bookmark a few designs that appeal, note the chamber capacity and the metal, and leave anything that would be sealed or dated until later.
- Talk to the family quietly. Find out who would want a piece, so the portion you request is big enough for everyone.
- Keep it all in one folder. Fur, prints, the maker's details and the vet's notes together mean the order takes minutes when the time comes.
Remembering your pet, in Urbandale and beyond
Urbandale's older ranch-house neighborhoods have mature trees and deep backyards, and many memorials end up there: a flat stone under a maple, a small statue by the garden bench, a biodegradable urn buried beneath a new shrub. It suits the unhurried feel of those older streets. Families in townhouses tend to prefer something indoors, like an urn on a shelf, a framed print or a piece of jewelry.
use the free tools before you ring anyone, See what each option includes on our services page, there are guides for the big decisions and articles for the details, or compare your instinct with the poll results. Close to Urbandale we also cover Davenport, Sioux City, Des Moines and Iowa City; the full list for Iowa 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.
Who fills the piece with ashes?
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 Iowa attitudes to cremation compare?
NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage) (2024) puts the Iowa human cremation rate at about 63.6%[5]. We show it on the Urbandale 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.
How many pet owners live in Urbandale?
By our estimate, about 18,000 households in Urbandale have at least one dog or cat, and around 1,500 are lost each year. We calculate this from the city's population of about 48,570, the average household size and national ownership and lifespan figures, so treat it as a floor rather than an exact count.
Which nearby towns can I compare with Urbandale?
The closest communities we cover are Clive (about 2 miles), Johnston (about 5 miles) and West Des Moines (about 6 miles). Providers based in those places often serve Urbandale too. Ask each one for a written total that includes collection, so the distance is priced in.
Where are the providers that serve Urbandale actually based?
Some are local, and some run from Des Moines, about 9 miles away. That is normal for a town this size. What matters is the collection time they quote for Urbandale and whether the drive is priced into the total, so ask both up front.
Can I mail my pet's ashes to a jewelry maker from Urbandale?
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.
How do I get a small portion out of a sealed urn in Urbandale?
Many urns open from the base, with screws or a sliding panel under a felt pad. Inside there's usually a plastic bag with a twist tie. Open it over a tray, lift out a spoonful with a dry teaspoon, then retie the bag and close the urn. If the urn is glued, or you'd rather not do it, the crematory that returned the ashes or a Urbandale jeweler can usually help.
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 Iowa's cremation rate at 63.6% for 2024. NFDA 2024 Cremation & Burial Report state projections (via Occasional Sage), 2024.
- [6] 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.
- [7] Paw print and nose print pendants at Memorials.com start at $99.95. Memorials.com – Pet print jewelry, 2026.
- [8] 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.
Find a maker for your pet's ashes
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.