Parting Stone Review 2026: Turning Ashes Into Stones, Worth It?

Parting Stone turns cremated remains, from people or pets, into a collection of smooth, solid stones that a family can hold, share or keep at home instead of an urn of ash. This Parting Stone review explains how the process works, what it costs, what the guarantees cover, how long it takes, and what independent reviewers and families report. The short version: reviewers describe a careful, well-run service with strong guarantees, and the main hurdles are the price and a wait of around three months.

In this review:

• Quick verdict and how we researched it
• How solidification works
• The services for people and pets
• Price, guarantees and timeline
• What reviewers and families say
• Pros and cons, who it suits, ratings and FAQ

Our verdict in brief

Parting Stone is worth considering if the urn never felt right, if several family members would each like something tangible to keep, or if you want to inter or scatter remains without handling loose ash. It is less compelling if just one relative will keep the stones, if the budget is tight, or if you need the remains back quickly. For pet owners, the lower pet price makes it an easier decision.

How we researched this review

We read a first-hand account from a funeral celebrant who saw a family use Parting Stone, a long review from a memorial-products site that discloses affiliate links, a review platform with customer ratings, two articles on the company's Shark Tank appearance, and Parting Stone's own website. We did not use the service ourselves. Because the most detailed review earns commission, we lean on it mainly for prices and policies and point out where sources disagree.

How solidification works

Parting Stone mails you a collection kit to send in the cremated remains. According to the Parting Stone website, it then purifies the ash by removing contaminants such as staples and implants, and solidifies 100% of it into a collection of 40-80+ smooth stones that it says look entirely natural. Each order is processed as its own batch.

Why do it at all? A funeral celebrant and green burial educator, Dina Stander, points out that loose cremated remains are highly alkaline and salty, and can harm soil, water and plants wherever they are scattered. In her view, solidified stones hold that material in an inert form, which makes them easier to bury or place outdoors as well as easier to handle.

The services

Parting Stone Solidified Remains for People

This is Parting Stone's core service. Memorial Merits puts the price at $2,495 with nothing further to pay, returning 40 to 80 stones, and works out a cost of roughly $30 to $60 per stone once a family shares them. It reports that the method is patented, suits remains from either traditional or water cremation (aquamation), was validated by Los Alamos National Laboratory, and has been used by more than 12,000 families.

The most vivid real-world account comes from Dina Stander, who watched a family receive stones from a relative. She found the product as advertised, with well over 50 palm-sized stones, and says the most striking benefit was that nobody felt anxious handling the remains: grandchildren laid the stones out on the grass, relatives chose the ones that spoke to them, a cousin sewed small bags from a favorite dress, and the rest were buried in the family plot.

Parting Stone Solidified Remains for Pets

Parting Stone also serves pet families, with separate services for dogs, cats and birds. Memorial Merits charges $1,195 for a dog or a cat. Testimonials on the Parting Stone website include owners of a French Bulldog and a long-lived small dog who valued the weekly status updates and the comfort of holding the finished stones, though testimonials chosen by the brand naturally skew positive.

Price, guarantees and timeline

Parting Stone is expensive compared with an urn, but the comparison is not straightforward because one order yields dozens of keepsakes. Memorial Merits sets the $2,495 price against a basic urn at $100 to $400, extra keepsake urns at $50 to $200 each and cremation jewelry at $80 to $300 per piece, each holding only a pinch of ash.

The guarantees are the strongest part of the offer. Memorial Merits describes an "anytime money-back guarantee" alongside a return-to-ash satisfaction guarantee, though we could not read the full terms on the brand's site, so confirm them before you send remains.

Patience is the main cost. Memorial Merits puts the current timeline at roughly 84 days between ordering and receiving the stones, and one family quoted on the Parting Stone site describes being apart from their father's remains for 2 months while receiving regular, respectful updates along the way.

What reviewers and families say

Feedback is consistently warm. On Trustburn, Parting Stone holds 4.2 out of 5 from 11 reviews, which describe beautiful, carefully made stones, a simple ordering process and responsive customer service, with no specific complaints on file. That is a small sample, and several reviews are short and dated. Memorial Merits reports a much larger base of verified product reviews on the brand's own site, nearly all five stars.

The repeated criticisms are about expectations rather than quality: the wait is long, and the cost is hard to justify if only one person will keep the stones.

Company background

Parting Stone is based in Santa Fe and was founded by Justin Crowe. Shark Tank Net Worth says the idea came to him in 2016 during a pottery project after losing his grandfather, that the service launched in 2018, and that he pitched it on Shark Tank in 2022 seeking $400,000, closing a deal with Lori Greiner and Kevin O'Leary. Sources differ on some details, including the launch year and the final deal terms, so treat those as approximate.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Turns all of the remains into stones a family can share
• Dozens of stones per order, so many relatives can keep one
• Stones are inert and easy to handle, bury or place outdoors
• Money-back and return-to-ash guarantees, per reviewers
• Separate, lower-priced services for pets

Cons:

• High upfront price for people's remains
• Wait of around three months
• Remains must be mailed away for the whole process
• Independent review coverage is small
• Full guarantee terms are hard to confirm from public sources

Who it suits, and who should look elsewhere

Parting Stone suits families who want several relatives to each hold a keepsake, people who never felt comfortable with an urn of ash, those planning a burial or scattering who would rather handle solid stones, and pet owners who want a lasting, tangible keepsake. It also suits people pre-planning their own arrangements.

Look elsewhere if a single urn or a piece of cremation jewelry would meet your needs at a fraction of the price, if waiting months for the remains would be too hard, or if you are not comfortable sending a loved one's remains by mail. If you are comparing other companies that sell direct online, our KungFu Scrubs review shows how we check what a smaller brand claims.

Our ratings

Overall: 4/5, because Dina Stander found the stones exactly as advertised and easy for a grieving family to handle, while Memorial Merits highlights strong guarantees, with the price and long wait as the trade-offs.

Parting Stone Solidified Remains for People: 4/5, since Memorial Merits reports independent validation and two guarantees, though the price only makes sense when several people share the stones.

Parting Stone Solidified Remains for Pets: 4/5, as Memorial Merits lists a far lower price for a dog or cat, and pet owners quoted by Parting Stone value the updates and the finished stones.

FAQ

Is Parting Stone legitimate?

Yes. It is an established company that appeared on Shark Tank, has been used by thousands of families according to reviewers, and is described by an independent funeral celebrant as delivering exactly what it promises.

How many stones will you receive?

It depends on the volume of remains. The Parting Stone website says a collection is typically 40-80+ stones, and the family Dina Stander supported received well over 50.

How long does the process take?

Memorial Merits puts it at roughly 84 days between ordering and receiving the stones, and Parting Stone sends updates along the way.

Does Parting Stone offer a money-back guarantee?

Reviewers describe an anytime money-back guarantee plus a return-to-ash guarantee if you are not satisfied. We could not read the full terms ourselves, so check the current wording on Parting Stone's site before sending remains.

Does Parting Stone work for pets?

Yes. It offers services for dogs, cats and birds, and Memorial Merits charges $1,195 for a dog or a cat.

Can you choose the color or shape of the stones?

One review mentions customization options, but Parting Stone describes the stones' appearance as entirely natural, so expect the look to depend on the remains themselves. Ask the company what choices are available before ordering.

Does it work with aquamation remains?

Memorial Merits reports that the process handles remains from both standard and water cremation, also known as aquamation.

Can you pre-plan, or solidify only part of the remains?

Pre-planning is possible: Memorial Merits names pre-planners as one of the groups the service suits. None of our sources explains whether you can solidify only a portion of the remains, combine two people's remains, or what the company's opening hours are, so ask Parting Stone directly before ordering.