Frequently Asked Questions

Simply place your order through our website. During checkout, you’ll select your preferred size, color, bronze bell style, and shipping/handling method (Direct Shipping or Trusted Partner Handling). Once your order is received, we’ll send your Collection Kit within 5-7 days. Once we receive the Collection Kit back from you, your finished memorial will arrive in 4-6 weeks.

You can work with your funeral professional, or one of our Trusted Partners for shipping and handling the small portion of remains necessary for the creation of your memorial. At Cairn Ceramics, we understand the sensitive nature of handling remains. For this reason, we have created a Trusted Partner handling process – we work with trusted funeral homes, cremation providers, or death doulas who can handle the collection process for you. We ship the collection kit directly to your provider at no charge, they coordinate the remains collection and return shipping. We deliver your finished memorial to you or your provider – all at no additional cost. Your funeral provider may have their own service fees for handling assistance, please check with them directly about their rates.

Once your order is received, we'll send your remains collection kit within 5-7 days. For Self Collection and Direct Shipping orders, the kit will come directly to your address. For Trusted Partner orders, the kit ships to your selected funeral provider. After we receive the prepared materials, either from you or your provider, we begin the careful process of creating your memorial and keep you informed along the way.

Yes. We partner with select funeral homes and cremation providers who share our values of integrity and compassion. Our Trusted Partner handling program allows families to work with their chosen provider for assistance collecting the small amount of remains necessary for your memorial's creation. You can also work with the partner of your choosing by entering their contact information at checkout.

We ship the remains collection kit directly to your provider at no charge. They coordinate collection and return shipping using their preferred methods, and we deliver your finished memorial to you or your provider—all at no additional cost from Cairn Ceramics.

Your funeral provider may have their own service fees for handling assistance. Please check with them directly about their rates.

We need only a small amount: about 1 teaspoon for a single chime or 2 for a double. Your kit includes a small spoon and a bag marked with a fill line, so there’s nothing to measure. All of it goes into your chime. The faint traces that cling to our mixing tools are returned to the earth here in Portland.

Yes. Each chime needs only about a teaspoon of ashes (two for a double), so families often order one for each sibling or household and keep the rest of the ashes together. For multiple chimes, we’ll let you know exactly how much to send.

Yes. Family orders are discounted automatically in the cart: 10% off 3–4 chimes and 15% off 5 or more.

Yes – Cairn Ceramics creates memorials for both people and beloved pets. In the cart page you can add a note to let us know your pet's name and anything you would like us to know about your companion. 🌈

Yes. Choose from six forms, named for features of the landscape, in eight colors, each with a hand-cast bronze bell (Polished or Patina) and a walnut wind catcher. Each comes as a single or a double, and every chime is made by hand, so no two are exactly alike.

You're welcome to include a personal note or brief dedication for our records. While we don't add inscriptions directly to the chime itself, we keep each message with care as part of your order documentation.

All Shipping costs are included in your memorial price. You'll receive a remains collection kit and a pre-paid Priority Mail Express return label at no charge, and delivery of your finished piece is also covered.

We partner with select funeral homes and cremation providers who share our values of integrity and compassion. Our Trusted Partner handling program allows families to work with their chosen provider for assistance collecting the small amount of remains necessary for your memorial's creation.

We ship the remains collection kit directly to your provider at no charge. They coordinate collection and return shipping using their preferred methods, and we deliver your finished memorial to you or your provider—all at no additional cost from Cairn Ceramics.

Your funeral provider may have their own service fees for handling assistance. Please check with them directly about their rates.

Your funeral provider may have separate service fees for collection assistance and coordination – please discuss their rates directly with them. Many families find the professional support and local coordination worth the provider's fees. Whether you choose Self Collection or opt to use a Trusted Partner, all shipping costs are covered by Cairn Ceramics.

For Self Collection orders: a small wooden spoon, a bag marked with a fill line, a small jar labeled with your order, printed instructions, and the official USPS Priority Mail Express box for cremated remains. We email the prepaid shipping label when you’re ready.

For Trusted Partner orders: the same kit goes to your provider, who arranges the return shipment.

Yes. When using the Self Collection method, the U.S. Postal Service authorizes mailing of cremated remains via Priority Mail Express using the official USPS cremated remains box included in your kit. This provides the highest level of protection and tracking.

When using Trusted Partner Handling, your funeral provider follows their established procedures for transporting cremated remains using appropriate carriers.

No. Take the time you need. When you're ready, simply follow the included instructions to safely package and return the materials.

For Self Collection orders, we will email you the prepaid Priority Mail Express label as soon as you are ready to return it. Simply print at home, or have the USPS scan the provided code to produce express label and get the package safely on its way. For Trusted Partner orders, your provider will coordinate the timing with you.

Yes, by appointment. Local families in the Portland area are welcome to arrange a personal drop-off at our studio. Please add a note during checkout or contact us to coordinate details.

Every chime has its own project bin from start to finish. Before we mail your collection kit, we label both the bag and the small jar it travels in with your order. When the box comes back, we match it to your order, let you know it has arrived, and place the whole kit in your bin. We work with one family’s ashes at a time, and everything for your chime stays in that bin: the ashes, the cup and tools used to mix them, and each form as it comes out of the mold to dry. When your chime is fired, each form sits next to a small numbered clay tab in the kiln, and that number is written on your bin, so pieces fired together are never mixed up. When your chime is done, the faint traces left on its tools are returned to the earth here in Portland, and your finished chime is packed from the same bin and shipped back to you.

Once we receive your collection kit, your memorial is typically completed and shipped within 4-6 weeks.

We’ll email you when your loved one’s ashes arrive and again when your chime ships, and we’re always happy to answer questions along the way.

Cairn Ceramics began when a close friend asked that her own remains be incorporated into a tsatsa—a small Tibetan votive sculpture, made by hand and meant to last. Creating those first pieces for her friends and family revealed how art can hold memory in a profoundly personal way. From that experience came the idea for a memorial that could also be part of daily life—a piece that both responds to its surroundings, while also bringing a sense of peace and presence. The wind chime grew from that idea, joining form and sound in a way that allows remembrance to be felt, not just seen.

We hope each memorial chime offers a quiet sense of presence within your home or garden—a graceful form infused with the ashes of your loved one. Even in stillness, it can serve as a gentle reminder of closeness and continuity. When stirred by the wind, its soft tone may bring a moment of recognition or comfort. In this way, each piece is meant to keep memory near—subtle, tangible, and part of the rhythm of daily life.

Cairn wind chimes are individually handcrafted in porcelain, offered in a broad palette of colors and forms. In the casting process, a small portion of cremated remains is gently infused into the clay, creating a memorial that is both beautiful and deeply personal.

Yes, the remains are visible on the interior of the forms. We blend a small portion of the remains into liquid porcelain, applying it to the interior of the form during casting. During firing, the remains become visible on the interior of the finished piece—a subtle and visible presence within.

Yes. The forms are high-fired porcelain that doesn’t absorb water, so rain, sun and frost won’t harm them, and the cord is made for outdoor use. Hang it securely, where it can move freely without swinging into a wall, railing or branches. Over time the walnut wind catcher will weather and the bronze bell will age, as natural materials do. If anything ever breaks, we can make it again with a little more of the ashes. Just get in touch. It’s just as lovely indoors near a window.

A clear, singular note from the hand-cast bronze bell, softened by the porcelain above it. Quieter and more distinct than metal tube chimes.

In glass keepsakes, the ashes are suspended inside the glass, usually as visible swirls or flecks. In our chimes, the ashes are fired into a thin layer on the inside of each form, where they show softly, and the outside color you choose stays true. And unlike a pendant or paperweight, a chime is made to be heard: the wind moves it and the bronze bell rings.

A gentle wipe with a damp cloth is all it needs. If the walnut wind catcher looks dry, a little oil brings it back, or we can send you a new one.

Yes. We offer repair services when possible and can recreate a piece if damage is beyond repair.

If a form is ever lost in firing, we’ll let you know, ask for a little more of the ashes, and make it again.

A single chime is $425 and a double is $525. The price includes the collection kit, a prepaid Priority Mail Express label for sending the ashes, and free shipping of your finished chime. Ordering more than one chime comes with a discount in the cart. If a funeral home helps with collection, they may charge their own handling fee.

Because each piece is custom-made and includes cremated remains, we're unable to offer returns or exchanges. If an issue arises, we'll do everything possible to make it right.

If your memorial is damaged in transit, please let us know immediately, send us photos of the damage, and we'll arrange a replacement at no cost to you.

We currently offer Shop Pay Installments at checkout, allowing you to spread payments over time.