But these are not your typical diamonds and vases.

The shiny stones are biodegradable life gems - made from the carbon in a loved one's cremated remains. The vases are urns that hold ashes and disintegrate without harming the environment if used for burial of remains at sea or in a lake.

In a bold marketing move, Flanner & Buchanan Funeral Centers and Crematory has brought cremation to the mainstream shopper.

The Indianapolis-based company just completed a three-month stint in two Indianapolis-area malls, renting kiosk space to sell cremation products, services and information.

"We wanted it to be something where people could walk up and touch the urns," said Connie Coir, director of funeral sales and marketing. "The response has been great."

So great that Flanner & Buchanan, which left the malls recently to take a break during the holiday season, plans to reopen the kiosks in January for at least two more quarters.

"At first I was shocked and then I was like, this is kind of morbid," said Sherry Sefert of Fishers, Ind., shopping at Castleton Square for her children's school clothes. "Then I thought, 'You know? It kind of makes sense. They are selling a service like anyone else and they have to advertise it.' "

Advertising, marketing and promotion of funeral services used to be a word-of-mouth venture.

Today, funeral homes are splashing ads in glossy magazines, showing up on television spots and sponsoring community events. And funeral products have gone mainstream, too.

Just last month, Washington-based Costco Wholesale Corp. began selling caskets in two Chicago-area stores.

"When there's a death, you don't go comparison shopping," said Robert Fells. "That's not what you're thinking."

Fells is external chief operating officer for the International Cemetery and Funeral Association. But people do want more options.

"From our point of view, this is great," he said of the cremation kiosks. "The problem has always been getting people to learn what their options are before they need to do something."

Flanner & Buchanan's idea for kiosks in shopping malls isn't what Fells would call a trend in funeral services. But maybe it will get people talking, said Bruce Buchanan, vice president of Flanner & Buchanan, which operates seven funeral homes and five centers within area cemeteries.

Cremation is becoming increasingly popular.

Twenty-seven percent of U.S. deaths were handled by cremation in 2001, up from 23 percent in 1997, according to the Cremation Association of North America, which expects that to rise to 44 percent of deaths by 2025.

For funeral homes, bringing services and products to the forefront of everyday life is key, but others are beginning to tread on their territory.

Some businesses have begun to sell funeral products on the Internet, according to the cremation association's Fells. One company even offers to send a loved one's remains into outer space.

And companies like Costco now offer six models of caskets that can be delivered within 48 hours of ordering. They are offered in colors like lilac and Neapolitan blue and priced at $799.99, cheaper than most caskets sold at funeral homes.

Having companies like Costco selling won't necessarily be a bad thing for funeral homes, said Toney Edwards, with Alpha Funeral Service in Indianapolis, which offers value-oriented products.

"I think it will have a positive impact on the business," he said. "Funeral homes, they're going to have to justify their pricing."