A memorial, by definition, is an object that pays tribute to the memory of a life. In the case of cremation memorials, there are many ways in which this can be achieved.

There are cremation urns that serve as a container for ashes. Cremation jewelry can contain a small amount of ash in a small compartment or locket, much like the mourning jewelry of the Victorian Age. There are also sculptures that can contain ashes, or memorial glass. This article will explore some of the many options that are available today.

In the hours and days after a death, surviving family members or friends are often forced to make a number of decisions about buying funeral goods and services — often at great expense. But even in the best of times, many consumers are ill equipped to wade through the hype and misconceptions and to make wise choices.

Here's a look at the top five traps that commonly ensnare consumers — and tips on how to avoid them.

Bereavement services is a growing field that can be rewarding for those with compassion for those who have lost loved ones.

The average funeral costs between $6,000 and $7,000, which means that opening a funeral home business can be a profitable venture. However, the cost to start a funeral home can be high.

A proposal to legalize “flameless” cremation, which uses a hot alkali-water bath to hasten decomposition, has local officials debating the safety and feasibility of flushing the byproducts into the sewer system.

Not least among those concerns: How would it affect public perceptions of using recycled water?

Batesville, the leading provider of burial, cremation and technology solutions to licensed funeral homes, reaffirmed its mission to help families honor the lives of those they love with the launch of MeaningfulFunerals.com, a website designed to educate consumers on the value of funerals, the planning process and the significant role funeral professionals play in creating meaningful services that both honor the lives of loved ones and start families on the path to healing.

The website was developed in collaboration with Dr. Alan Wolfelt, internationally-recognized grief expert, author and Director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition, and is offered free of charge to funeral homes and consumers.

Across South Korea, entrepreneurs are holding controversial forums aimed at teaching clients how to better appreciate life by simulating death. They use mortality as a personal motivator.

For Jung Joon, the moment of truth arrives for his clients as they slip into the casket and he pounds the lid in place with a wooden hammer.

Insights arise, he says, as they are confronted with total, claustrophobic darkness, left alone to weigh their regrets and ponder eternity.

Jung, a slight 39-year-old with an undertaker's blue suit and a preacher's demeanor, is a resolute counselor on the ever-after who welcomes clients with the invitation, "OK, today let's get close to death."