How the ashes chamber works

The chamber is the part of the sculpture families ask about most and see least, which is as it should be. From the outside a piece with a chamber and a piece without are the same sculpture. The difference is inside the base.

What is inside

The base is printed with a cavity in it, sized for a small capsule. The capsule is a separate part: it lifts out, it has a screw cap, and the cap closes on an O-ring seal. It holds a small portion of ashes — a keepsake amount, not the whole of them — and it is designed to be filled at home, by you, in your own time.

The capsule arrives empty. We never take possession of anyone’s ashes.

That is a deliberate decision, and we will not change it. If we filled the capsule ourselves we would need to receive the ashes, hold them, and post them back inside the sculpture, and every one of those steps is a place for something to go wrong. Instead the sculpture arrives with the capsule empty and a printed card that explains how to fill and seal it. It takes a few minutes and a steady surface.

Nothing is permanent

The capsule can be opened again. Families are sometimes surprised by that, because the word “urn” suggests something sealed for good. But circumstances change: ashes are scattered later, a second family member wants a portion, a piece moves house. The screw cap means the decision you make today does not have to be the decision forever.

With or without

The chamber is optional. Most sculptures in the range can be ordered with it or without it — the very smallest sizes have no room for one. Some families want the likeness and nothing more; some want the piece to hold something of the person. Both are the same sculpture, made the same way, and the choice is yours at the point of ordering. If you are unsure, order without — a chamber can be added to a later piece from the same sculpt.