Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Parting Stone, an innovative death care company transforming the way families memorialize loved ones, is proud to announce that it has served 10,000 families with its solidified remains service. This milestone marks a significant achievement in the company’s mission to provide a comforting, tangible alternative to conventional cremated remains and highlights an important shift in the modern grief experience in America.
Photo from Parting Stone
As more families choose cremation for a loved one or pet, they seek meaningful ways to navigate grief, Parting Stone has emerged as a trailblazer in reshaping the narrative around death and memorialization. By offering a new form of remains that resembles a collection of 40–80 smooth stones, the company is helping people find comfort and connection in the grieving process. Solidified remains are a complete alternative to conventional “ashes.”
Shifting From Traditional Burials to Cremation
The way Americans approach death, grief, and memorialization has been dramatically changing over the past few decades. The National Funeral Directors Association predicts that by 2030, nearly 80% of Americans will choose cremation over traditional burial. This shift is driven by several key factors: cost, environmental impact, and evolving perspectives on memorialization.
Traditional funerals and burials can be costly, averaging $8,000 or more, while direct cremation can cost between $1,000 and $2,000, making it a more accessible option for many families. Additionally, traditional burials involve environmentally taxing practices, including the use of thousands of tons of metal, wood, and embalming fluids. Cremation is viewed as a more sustainable option, and alternatives like Parting Stone further minimize environmental impact caused by scattering cremation ashes.
Moreover, as fewer Americans are connected to religious institutions—only 47% as of 2021—many are seeking personalized memorial experiences that reflect their values and beliefs.
Photo from Parting Stone
Why Families Choose Parting Stone
As cremation becomes the growing alternative, families are exploring interactive ways to honor their loved ones. Parting Stone’s solidified remains offer a canvas for personal memorial experiences. While conventional ashes are messy to scatter, uncomfortable to look at, and can cause anxiety to travel with, solidified remains allow for a clean and comforting memorial experience.
For Cindy, who lost her husband Steve after 40 years together, the grief was overwhelming. But when she received his solidified remains, she found unexpected hope.
“Holding them gave me a tangible connection to him, something that brought comfort during such an uncertain time,” she shared.
Cindy carries one of Steve’s stones with her everywhere and has placed others throughout her home. On the first anniversary of his passing, friends and family honored him by setting one of the stones afloat on the pond near their home, followed by sharing his favorite chocolate cake—a simple but meaningful tribute.
For sisters Eden, Robin, and Tamara, Parting Stone provided a way to reunite their parents after decades apart. Their father passed away at just 49, leaving behind their devoted mother, who spoke of him with love until she passed at 92. She had always wanted their ashes to be mixed together, but the sisters never imagined it could be done in such a beautiful and meaningful way.
“Thanks to Parting Stone, we were able to bring our parents back together. Now, we carry their stones with us to all the places we wish we could have gone as a family—Hawaii, Alaska, Maine—continuing to create beautiful memories even though they are no longer physically with us.” the sisters said, expressing gratitude.
Parting Stone isn’t just for human loved ones—it’s also a way to honor cherished pets. Steve, who lost his beloved cat Cougo, found solace in sharing the stones with those who had been instrumental in Cougo’s life. He gave one stone to the friend who had rescued Cougo as a kitten and another to the veterinarian who provided compassionate end-of-life care.
“I owe a debt of gratitude to both of these fine folks for the roles they played in contributing to the quality of my pet’s life,” Steve said.
Solidifying a Milestone of Connection and Comfort
Photo from Parting Stone
Serving 10,000 families represents 10,000 stories of love, remembrance, and healing. Each family that chooses Parting Stone has found a way to preserve the memory of their loved ones in a form that brings peace and comfort.
As more people seek alternatives to traditional burial and cremation, Parting Stone is leading the way, helping families redefine what it means to remember and honor those they’ve lost.
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About Parting Stone
Parting Stone is pioneering a new alternative to conventional cremated remains. Instead of receiving ashes, families who choose solidified remains receive 100% of their loved one’s remains in the form of 40-80+ clean, smooth stones. This innovative option has provided over 10,000 families with a tangible way to hold their loved one again as they navigate grief. Trusted by over 1,000 funeral homes nationwide, solidified remains are becoming a meaningful choice for cremation families seeking a more personal memorial experience.
Would you like to learn more about how solidified remains could fit your family’s memorialization wishes? Visit Parting Stone’s website to explore this meaningful option today.
