No. Quite frankly, the idea of turning a deceased parent, grandparent, sibling, or child (or any other deceased loved one) into a fashion accessory is revolting. Not only does it violate the Church’s direction that a person’s bodily remains are to be placed in a suitable container and either buried in a suitable location or committed to a body of water (not scattered), but it is an affront to human dignity to treat the remains of another human being as personal property.
It is true that there are cases in which human remains have been kept by individuals. Christians have long venerated relics. These days, however, relics should be distributed by those authorized and entrusted by the Church to do so. There was also the custom at one time of keeping hair from a deceased person, some of which was turned into what was called “mourning jewelry.” But hair is a “disposable product” of the human body and not integral to the body itself. Keeping a lock of Grandpa’s hair coiled in a pendant is not objectionable; grinding up Grandpa’s remains and turning him into a cultured diamond is and always will be.
