Sunday, January 22, 2012

Ashes to Ashes: South Korean Company Turns Loved Ones' Ashes into Beads



South Korea has a long tradition of honoring the dead, but now that space is limited for burials and many South Koreans find the tradition of storing a loved ones cremated remains in an urn distasteful, a company has come up with an interesting alternative.

The South Korean company Bonhyang is now offering grieving families the opportunity to transform the ashes of the deceased into decorative bluish beads, which can then be put in attractive containers for display. 

Over a thousand customers have already paid the equivalent of $900 for the unique service, which grinds the deceased's ashes even finer, then heats them up and shapes them into beads more suitable for public display than a boring old urn containing ashes.

Critics claim that the entire process dishonors the dead, but Bonhyang's CEO insists that the process is not disrespectful to time-honored traditions and that the beads created are a beautiful way to honor the memory of a loved one. "They're very beautiful to look at," he says. "You don't feel that these beads are creepy or scary. In fact, there's a holiness and warmth to them."


1 comment:

  1. I grew up Catholic. I don't know how the Pope
    would feel but my own personal opinion...I would have loved to do that when my parents
    passed away. It's not disrespect,it's honorable.
    After all,my belief is that it's their ashes.
    Their soul is in a different place

    ReplyDelete

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