BRADENTON, Fla. - Cremation is increasingly the way to go, according to the Cremation Association of North America. In Florida, more than half of the people who died in 2005 were cremated, and that percentage is expected to rise to 75 percent by 2010.

When it comes to what to do with the cremains - which are not really ashes but tiny bits of skeletal remains - the options are growing as fast as the popularity of cremation, according to Sammy D. Simpkins of Shannon Funeral Home in Bradenton.

"The big thing in the funeral industry these days is personalization," Simpkins said. "People want the process and memorial to reflect the person they lost."

And Simpkins says the sky is the limit - literally.

Celestic Inc., an affiliate of Space Services Inc. in Houston, will blast your ashes into orbit around the Earth.

According to the company's Web site, a small portion of cremated remains is launched into space along with commercial or scientific satellites aboard the Celestis spacecraft. The spacecraft remains in orbit around the Earth until it re-enters the atmosphere and vaporizes into a shooting star.

It remains in orbit from 10 to 240 years. Prices quoted on the company's Web site start at $2,495 and go up to $7,485 for the cremains of two people.

For those who want to carry their loved one on their finger or around their neck, several options of cremation jewelry are available, said Simpkins, reaching for a display of tiny urns on chains and lockets that open in the back to hold a small quality of remains.

But the ultimate in cremation jewelry has to be the diamond created from about a cupful of cremains, said Simpkins.

Shannon is a partner of LifeGem Created Diamonds, based in Arlington. LifeGem creates the diamonds by extracting the carbon from a lock of hair or cremated remains. No special procedures are required, said Mike Herro, one of the co-founders of the company.

The carbon extract is then heated to a very high temperature, which converts the carbon to graphite. The graphite then goes into a diamond press that replicates the heat and pressure found in the core of the Earth to create the diamond. Size and color are determined by how long the graphite remains in the press, Herro said.

Color choices range from yellow to red, green, blue and colorless diamonds.

"The yellow diamonds are the easiest to create," said Herro. "The colorless and blue are the hardest to grow."

The diamond created is a one-of-a-kind gem that is equal to diamonds sold by Tiffany's, Herro said. The stones can be cut into any of the brilliant cuts - round, princess or radiant or any other cut the customer desires, Herro said. Sizes range from .25 carats to 2.0 carats.

"The largest blue diamond we make is 1 carat and we limit the colorless diamonds to .50 carats," Herro said.

It doesn't matter how old the cremains are - LifeGem once made a diamond from the cremains of someone who died in 1941. Prices range from $2,199 for a .20 carat yellow diamond to $25,000 for the largest LifeGem ever created - a 2 carat red diamond.

So far, the Bradenton funeral home has not had any orders for a LifeGem, but many people are interested in the process, Simpkins said.

Despite these lavish options for ashes, most families still opt for urns, Hutchings said. But again the choices are staggering, from the traditional vase-shaped urns to finely crafted wooden chests, hearts, even clocks, benches, bird baths and sundials.

Biodegradable urns are very popular, Simpkins said. Some are designed to be buried, where they decompose over time into soil. Others are designed to disintegrate shortly after they hit water for burial of ashes at sea.

Simpkins flipped open a brochure for the Reflection Series, a pressed cotton urn that floats on the water from up to five minutes before slowly descending into the sea. Quite large, the pressed cotton urns measure nearly two feet in diameter and come with a variety of images - flowers, eagles, sailboats and there's even a space for inscribed messages - pressed into the cover. Simpkins said the cost is around $500.

Another type of urn for burial at sea is the sinking urn, a diamond shape that has a beveled lid that allows the water to slowly seep into the urn, pulling it toward the sea bottom. Cost is about $200.

"Whatever someone can imagine, we can probably find," said Simpkins.

Most important, Simpkins advised, is to be aware of rules governing the transportation of cremains by air. Even the dead and cremated must pass through security, says the National Transportation Security Administration. Passengers are allowed to carry a crematory container as part of their carry-on luggage, but that container must pass through the X-ray machines, the TSA rules say. Trouble is, most urns are opaque and won't pass the scanner. Under no circumstances will TSA officials open a container, even if the passenger asks. Even documentation from the funeral home won't suffice to get an opaque urn through security.

The best bet if you have to transport cremains is to use the temporary container provided by the crematory, said Simpkins. The unsealed urn can then be examined by security.

You can check a filled urn, but it will have to be screened for explosives and some airlines do not allow cremated remains as checked baggage, TSA rules say.

Shannon's cost for cremation is $930 plus the charge for a container for the body. The cheapest alternative is a $60 container, with the most expensive cremation caskets running into the thousands of dollars. The body does not have to be embalmed, Simpkins said, but families do need to purchase a container that is 99 percent combustible to meet the Environmental Protection Agency's requirements.

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Cremation checklist

Advice from the Cremation Association of North America on how to choose a cremation service.

• Select a reputable firm.

• Ask friends/coworkers what they know about them.

• Seek advice from your clergy.

• Do not choose a firm based solely on price.

• Determine what type of services you would like. The type of service you request will determine the cost.

Options include:

• Cremation with visitations and embalming

• Cremation/Rental casket

• Memorial service

• Church service

• Direct cremation with no service

When you have chosen a firm, ask the following questions:

• Which crematory do they use?

• Who owns the crematory facility?

• How often do they inspect that facility?

• Are licenses and permits current?

• How many operators do they have and what type of training do they require? Are they CANA certified?

• Does the crematory have refrigeration?

• How long does the crematory hold the body prior to cremation?

• Does the crematory have liability insurance?

• Does the crematory facility allow witnessing by family members?

Your provider should be happy to answer all questions you may have. If they are unwilling to provide any answers or documents you have requested, find a provider that will.

SOURCE: The Cremation Association of North America at www.cremationassociation.org