Lumaren
Memorial artwork created from the unique mineral chemistry of those you love.
DiscoverWhat Lumaren Is
Every person who has ever lived carried within them a mineral signature as individual as their fingerprint. Shaped by a lifetime of diet, environment, health, and biology, it accumulated quietly in the structure of their bones across every year of their existence.
At Lumaren, we reveal that signature. Through a process of crystal growth and cross-polarized light microscopy, we transform a small portion of cremated remains into a luminous, one-of-a-kind work of art. The colors, forms, and structures that emerge are not painted or digitally created. They are the direct optical expression of who your loved one was, made visible by light.
No two pieces are alike. They cannot be. No two people ever shared the same chemistry.
The Process
The science behind Lumaren is the same technique geologists have used for over 150 years to study the mineral world. We have applied it to something far more personal.
One
We ask only for a small portion of cremated remains, sent to our laboratory in Houston, Texas. Everything else stays with you.
Two
The mineral components are drawn into solution and allowed to crystallize under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. The structures that form are determined entirely by the chemistry of the remains. We provide the conditions. The person provides the result.
Three
The crystals are photographed under cross-polarized light microscopy. The vivid colors that emerge are a real optical phenomenon called birefringence. Nothing is added. Nothing is altered. What you see is the light within.
Four
You receive high-resolution digital files with full usage rights, a certificate of authenticity, and if you choose, an archival print on museum-quality paper. A piece that will endure as long as the memory it holds.
Our studio works with a carefully limited number of commissions to honor the attention each one deserves. Timeline from receipt of sample to delivery is approximately four to six weeks.
The Work
These are real images created from real people's cremated remains. Every color, every form, every structure belongs to one person and no other.
Commissions
Each Lumaren commission is created individually, with the full attention of our studio. All packages include a certificate of authenticity and full digital usage rights with no restrictions.
Lumaren Digital
$499
Lumaren Collection
$699
Lumaren Heirloom
$899
We accept commissions for human cremated remains. Pet memorial commissions are handled through our sister studio, Ashes to Artworks.
"Testimonial from a family member will appear here. Something personal, specific, and written in their own words about what the artwork meant to them."
Name, relationship — City
The Studio
Lumaren is the work of Ptim Pellerin, Chief Science Officer and founder, whose background spans astronomical telescope collimation, medical microscopy, and phase contrast techniques across four decades of optical science work.
Every commission passes through the same hands. Every image is made with the same care. We operate from a personal laboratory in Houston, Texas, and we work with a limited number of families each month to ensure that no commission is ever rushed.
The science is rigorous. The process is deliberate. The result belongs only to the person it came from.
Begin
There is no timeline for grief, and no pressure here. When the time feels right, reach out. We will answer every question with care and take whatever time you need.