Is a tattoo containing ashes medically safe?

Carried out properly, yes - the risks are similar to those of an ordinary tattoo, provided the ashes have been sterilised correctly. The procedure: the ashes are sterilised by the funeral home or the tattoo studio in an autoclave at 121 °C for 30 minutes, ground very fine (particle size below 50 µm) and mixed in small quantity (typically 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) into the tattoo pigment. Important: not every studio offers this service, and not every tattooist is trained in handling ashes. Studios experienced in memorial tattoos are found above all in the USA and Britain; in Germany the practice is less widespread, but possible. A frank conversation with the tattooist, and where appropriate an allergy test, are advisable.

How much ash is needed for a tattoo?

Very little - typically 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (around 0.5–1.5 grams) for a single tattoo of medium size. That means the typical quantity of ashes from an adult cremation (2–3 kg) would provide material for hundreds of tattoos - setting aside a small amount for a memorial tattoo barely diminishes what remains for a conventional burial or for other keepsakes (see Ash Pendant, Memorial Diamond). A family can easily have an ash tattoo, an ash pendant and a memorial diamond made in parallel.

Can I combine a memorial tattoo with memorial jewellery?

Yes, the two complement each other well. Many mourners choose a combination - a fingerprint pendant (see Fingerprint Pendant) for everyday wear and a discreetly placed memorial tattoo (with the person's favourite symbol or their date of death, for example) as a permanent personal remembrance. Some tattooists work directly with jewellery workshops and offer a single motif concept for both forms of remembrance - a line in the handwriting of the person who has died, for instance, engraved on the piece of jewellery (see Laser Engraving) and tattooed as well.

What is the legal position regarding ashes in Germany?

Germany applies the principle of Friedhofszwang - ashes must remain in a cemetery or in an approved form of burial (at sea, in a woodland burial ground, in an alpine meadow). Releasing small quantities for memorial jewellery or memorial tattoos is not officially provided for in Germany, but is quietly tolerated in practice by many funeral homes, as long as the bulk of the ashes is buried in the regular way. The practice rests on firmer legal ground in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, the USA and Britain, where ashes may be released freely to the family. Anyone planning an ash tattoo in Germany should speak directly to the funeral home (see Keeping Cremation Ashes - A Practical Guide, Friedhofszwang - Mandatory Cemetery Burial (Germany)).

Memorial Tattoo

The memorial tattoo is an inscription in the skin in memory of a person who has died; one particular variant is the ash tattoo or morbid ink tattoo, in which a small quantity of the deceased person's sterilised ashes is mixed into the tattoo pigment - a modern form of remembrance carried on the body itself, outside the classical jewellery tradition.

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