Mr friend lost her mother about a year or so ago and had just had a ring made of her ashes. The ashes are actually incorporated in the melted silver. I know they were very close, but I find it a bit macabre, my mother is 99 in December and is and always will be my darling and I love her dearly, fortunately she has all her marbles and is very mobile too, so a lot to be grateful for, but even though I love her so much, putting her remains in a ring is out of the question. My opinion is that she is in my heart and always will be so why do I need the shell. I would be interested in other opinions, as I cant really get my head around it.