When you choose a hand-painted memorial urn, you are choosing something made slowly and carefully for one companion. Because every urn is painted from your own photos and fired one at a time in our Jingdezhen studio, the timeline is longer than an in-stock vase — and it is honest, so you always know where your order stands. Here is exactly what happens, step by step.
Step 1: Your photos arrive (a few minutes after your order)
After you place an order, upload 2–5 photos on the product page. Clear, natural-light photos help most, but please do not worry if your best pictures are older or a little soft — our artists work from colors, markings, and breed cues too. If anything about your photos is unclear, our team will message you. We usually reply within 24 hours.
Step 2: We review the details (1–2 business days)
Before any painting begins, we study your photos: coat pattern, ear shape, the expression in the eyes. If we need one more view or a note about your companion, this is when we ask — a short message now saves a round-trip later.
Step 3: You approve the portrait preview (the clock starts here)
Once the portrait is painted on the unfired piece, we send you a preview photo. This is your chance to ask for small adjustments before the kiln. The 12-business-day production time starts only after you approve the preview, so please reply when you are ready — there is no pressure to rush your decision.
Step 4: Painting, glazing, and firing (about 12 business days)
After your approval, the piece is completed by hand: the portrait is finished, the glaze is applied, and the urn is fired in the kiln. Nothing about this step is rushed — the kiln is the point of no return, and we want the face you approved to be the face you keep.
Step 5: Dispatch and delivery (8–15 business days, free shipping)
Your urn ships worldwide with free USPS shipping, typically arriving in 8–15 business days. Customs duties are usually not charged; if your country inspects the parcel and applies a tax, that cost falls to the buyer. If a parcel shows no movement for 30 days, or if your urn arrives damaged, contact us within 3 days of delivery — we will make it right, including a free remake and reshipment.
Want it sooner?
If you need the urn by a particular date, an express option completes your piece in about one week for a $50 fee. Everything else — preview included — stays the same.
A few ways to keep things moving
The simplest ways to help your order flow smoothly are to send clear photos early and to reply to your preview when it arrives. And if you ever wonder where your piece is, write to us — we usually reply within 24 hours, and we are glad you asked.
Every custom urn we ship is made to order, painted by hand from a family's own photos, and never rushed. That is what the time is for.