Handmade Cremation Urns Made in Australia.
Ceramic, Pottery, Stoneware and Porcelain urns by Marianne Annereau.
We craft urns for ashes in different sizes. Shop urns for adults, urns for children, urns for babies, urns for pre-term babies and urns for pets.
All our urns are one off pieces. Each one has an individual design and is unique.
This website’s inventory stock is always up to date
No custom orders
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How we make urns
How the Urns are Made
Lumps of clay are weighed for the urn pot and lid.
The clay is kneaded so it has consistent moisture throughout.
The lumps of clay are turned on a pottery wheel to form the urn pot and lid.
The base and lid are set aside to stiffen for several days.
The stiff pot and lid are returned to the pottery wheel where they are turned upside down. Excess clay is trimmed off, at the same time the foot is formed. The lid is shaped.
Where the lid meets the pot is carved to achieve a nice rim and a lid that fits the pot.
Textures may be added before the pot dries completely. These include carving, stamping or adding more clay relief designs.
The urn is placed aside for about two weeks until all the moisture has evaporated. The urn is now at its most fragile - a bit like chalk. The form is checked and sponged to perfection where necessary.
The urn is carefully place in the kiln for the first firing of 14 hours reaching 1000℃ . The kiln takes about a day and a half to cool to room temperature before being unloaded.
Now the urn is less fragile. It can be decorated many ways such as with underglaze paint and tissue print.
The interior of the urn body and lid are glazed by pouring chemical mixtures inside and tipping the remainder out. These glazes resemble liquid cream. The urn is then dipped into buckets of glaze to glaze the exterior of the body and lid.
The glaze is wiped from the foot of the urn to prevent the pot sticking to the kiln shelf. Where the lid meets the body is also wiped clean so that the urn is not glazed shut.
The urn is loaded in the kiln for the second firing up to 1280 ℃ . Once again the kiln takes a day and a half to cool.
Once the urn is fired the foot and rim are sanded to smooth.
If real gold is applied to the urn, it is painted on within an oil suspension. The oil is burnt off in the third and final firing to reveal the real gold detail.
Why I Make Urns
I have always been fascinated by Egyptian urns and canopic jars. The preparation around collecting items for the afterlife and rituals around preserving the deceased is a source of intrigue.
The first ceramic urn I ever made was for my dog in 2013. I was still a hobby potter at the time. I received my dog’s ashes from the crematorium and I was not ready to part with them by scattering them somewhere. I needed to get her ashes out of the temporary felt bag they came in, so I made her an urn. The urn was slab built white stoneware covered with Japanese style tissue print and an emerald green glaze. It still sits in my living room next to a photo of my beloved Labrador. I enjoy admiring it. I also still make pet urns.
Urn Maker Australia: Marianne Annereau
I like making urns because they are sacred pieces. When I work on urns I work very differently to when I make bowls, plates and planters. I get into a zone where I consider the person who’s remains will be housed in the urn, and their loved ones. I make each urn with love and extra care.
Urns are challenging to make because they are large items that need to be perfect in every way from design to execution.
How to Purchase an Urn
We ship handmade pottery urns worldwide from Australia.
There is an express shipping option at checkout.
If you need help don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Shipping Handmade Urns
Urns are shipped via Australia Post domestic and international. They are heavily padded in recycled materials and boxed. We don’t use bubble wrap. The box is then double boxed with more padding between the boxes. Our policy is 100% refund on breakages. We have never encountered an urn breakage.
