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Gifts for skull lovers, from memento mori to Día de los Muertos art

Gifts for skull lovers: a memento mori coin, sterling jewelry, anatomy art, an O’Keeffe print and Día de los Muertos art by Mexican makers.

  • 12 researched picks
  • $7 to $550
  • Updated September 2026
  • By Considered Gifts editorial desk

Before you shop

People who love skull imagery come to it from different places. Some wear gothic silver, some keep a memento mori on the desk as a Stoic reminder, some collect anatomy art, and some grew up with calaveras on a Día de los Muertos ofrenda. What connects them is that the skull means something: craft, history, a dark sense of humor or a nudge to use their time well. Good gifts respect that meaning and have some weight to them, whether in sterling silver, brass, clay or ideas.

The usual mistake is Halloween stock: plastic skulls, plated rings that tarnish in a month, sugar-skull costumes. Día de los Muertos deserves particular care. It is a Mexican holiday on November 1 and 2, rooted in Indigenous traditions that treat death as a continuation of life, and UNESCO added it to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Give its art as art, made by Mexican and Mexican American artists, never as a costume. For everything else, look for skulls made with skill or backed by history.

The list moves from memento mori pieces and jewelry to anatomy art and books, then to Día de los Muertos art from Mexican artisans and an arts organization that has commissioned Día de los Muertos prints for decades. Prices run from $7 to $550, and nothing here is made from real bone.

How we chose

  • Skulls with meaning: memento mori objects, anatomy art and Día de los Muertos art, not Halloween stock that comes down in November.
  • Solid materials from known makers: recycled sterling silver, US-made sterling, brass and handmade Mexican clay.
  • Día de los Muertos pieces come from Mexican artisans or an organization with decades of Día de los Muertos printmaking, framed as art, not costume.
  • Named artists and museums over anonymous prints, including Georgia O’Keeffe and José Guadalupe Posada.
  • Nothing made from real bone, and books that show human remains are flagged for anyone who may find them upsetting.

Quick comparison

All 12 picks at a glance

Jump to any pick for the reasoning, who should skip it, and where to find it.

01Daily Stoic Memento Mori MedallionStoics and skull lovers who want a daily reminder in their pocket$3002Anatomy: Exploring the Human Body (Phaidon)Skull lovers drawn to anatomical art, from medical illustration to fine art$6003Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present and Future catalogueSkull lovers who want to understand Día de los Muertos art, not just its look$3004Pyrrha Memento Mori talisman in recycled sterling silverJewelry lovers who want a small skull piece with a message behind it$45005Small clay Catrina by Ricardo Hernandez of Capula, MichoacánFans of Día de los Muertos art who want a handmade piece from Mexico$3606Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us by Paul Koudounaris, paperbackReaders curious about how cultures around the world keep their dead close$4007King Baby Open Ring with Skulls, sterling silverRock and gothic dressers who want a solid silver skull ring$14508Georgia O’Keeffe Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses print, 11 x 14 inSkull lovers who prefer quiet, modernist art to gothic imagery$1509Velero de Calaveras clay candle holder from San Bartolo Coyotepec, OaxacaSkull lovers who want candlelit décor made by Mexican artisans$3310Posada’s Popular Mexican Prints (Dover paperback)Fans of calaveras who want to see the prints behind La Catrina$711Jonathan Adler Brass Skull BoxDesign lovers who want one sculptural skull on a shelf, not a Halloween prop$55012Tovolo Skull Ice Molds, set of 2Hosts who like a dark joke in their cocktail glass$10

The picks

Each gift, and who it suits

  1. Pocket coinAbout $30

    Daily Stoic Memento Mori Medallion

    Best for Stoics and skull lovers who want a daily reminder in their pocket

    It gives them a memento mori small enough to carry every day. The front shows an interpretation of Philippe de Champaigne’s 17th-century vanitas painting, and the back carries a shortened line from Marcus Aurelius. A custom mint in Minnesota that has operated since 1882 handcrafts each coin, which measures 1 9/16 inches across and weighs 26.2 grams, and it ships in a box with a card that explains the practice to whoever receives it. A skull paperweight stays on a desk; this goes wherever they go.

    Skip it if
    They already own this coin, or they would rather wear their memento mori than carry it.
    Before you buy
    Daily Stoic ships worldwide. Each coin has its own finish, so it will not look exactly like the photos.
    See it at Daily StoicOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  2. Art bookAbout $60

    Anatomy: Exploring the Human Body (Phaidon)

    Best for Skull lovers drawn to anatomical art, from medical illustration to fine art

    It gives an anatomy-art fan the long history behind the images they love. The hardcover surveys more than 5,000 years of image-making through 300 works, chosen by an international panel whose advisers included Dame Sue Black and Thomas Schnalke. It moves through individual parts of the body and its systems, including nerves, muscles, organs, the brain and the senses. A single anatomical atlas shows one artist’s view of the body; this shows how people have pictured it over five millennia.

    Skip it if
    They are squeamish about medical imagery, or they already own this Phaidon title.
    See it at PhaidonOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  3. Art catalogueAbout $30

    Día de los Muertos: A Cultural Legacy, Past, Present and Future catalogue

    Best for Skull lovers who want to understand Día de los Muertos art, not just its look

    It explains the art behind calavera imagery through an arts organization that commissions a Día de los Muertos print every year. The 76-page catalogue gathers seminal prints, photographs and ephemera from four decades of Self Help Graphics & Art’s Día de los Muertos celebration, 63 images in full color. Four essays cover the celebration’s roots, the innovations of its artists, the cultural exchange between the United States and Mexico, and community programs. It is sold through the organization’s own shop, so the money goes to the people who made the work.

    Skip it if
    They want an object to display rather than something to read.
    Before you buy
    Self Help Graphics & Art also sells original commemorative serigraphs, which ran from $600 to $2,500 in September 2026.
    See it at Self Help Graphics & ArtOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  4. PendantAbout $450

    Pyrrha Memento Mori talisman in recycled sterling silver

    Best for Jewelry lovers who want a small skull piece with a message behind it

    It gives them a skull they can wear every day with a message behind it. The talisman shows a skull, an hourglass and wilted flowers above the words Memento Mori, Latin for “remember you will die,” which Pyrrha frames as a reminder to stop wasting time on things that do not matter. It is cast in 100% recycled sterling silver, handcrafted in Vancouver, Canada, and measures about 19 by 21 millimeters. It arrives with a letterpress meaning card in a gift box made from recycled paper, and it reads as fine jewelry rather than costume.

    Skip it if
    The budget is tight; the price covers the talisman alone, and a chain adds $120 or more.
    Before you buy
    Chains are sold separately; with an 18-inch fine curb chain the total was $570 in September 2026.
    See it at PyrrhaOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  5. Folk art figureAbout $36

    Small clay Catrina by Ricardo Hernandez of Capula, Michoacán

    Best for Fans of Día de los Muertos art who want a handmade piece from Mexico

    It gives them a handmade Catrina from Mexico with the artisan’s name attached, the opposite of a mass-produced Halloween skeleton. Ricardo Hernandez of Capula, Michoacán, hand-crafts each clay figure, which stands about 9 to 9.5 inches tall. The design is inspired by La Catrina Garbancera, the elegant skeleton first drawn by José Guadalupe Posada and now a national symbol of modern Mexico, with details drawn from Mexico’s flora and fauna. Because each piece is handmade, no two are alike.

    Skip it if
    They live in Alaska, Hawaii or Puerto Rico, or need delivery to a PO box; the shop does not ship there.
    Before you buy
    In September 2026 the gold and white versions were in stock; black and natural were sold out. Details vary from the photos.
    See it at Ricardo Hernandez (Guelaguetza Designs)Or compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  6. Photography bookAbout $40

    Memento Mori: The Dead Among Us by Paul Koudounaris, paperback

    Best for Readers curious about how cultures around the world keep their dead close

    It shows a skull lover how people around the world still keep their dead close. Paul Koudounaris documents decorated skulls, burial traditions and ossuaries at sacred sites in Indonesia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Cambodia, Rwanda and South America, where human remains serve decorative, commemorative and devotional roles today. He argues that in many cultures the realms of the living and the dead are far less separate than Western readers assume, and he finds messages of hope in these practices. The 216-page paperback is large, about 7.7 by 11.4 inches. It treats the subject as culture and devotion, not shock.

    Skip it if
    Photographs of real human remains would upset them or others in their home.
    See it at Thames & HudsonOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  7. Sterling ringAbout $145

    King Baby Open Ring with Skulls, sterling silver

    Best for Rock and gothic dressers who want a solid silver skull ring

    It gives them a skull ring in solid .925 sterling silver, handmade in the USA by a jeweler with more than 30 skull rings in its line. At $145 it is one of the least expensive ways into King Baby, whose skull rings run from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. The open design wears as an everyday ring rather than a costume piece. Unlike a plated costume ring, sterling can be polished back to shine when it dulls.

    Skip it if
    You do not know their ring size; sizes run from 6 to 9, and a wrong guess means a return.
    Before you buy
    All sizes from 6 to 9 were in stock in September 2026. Borrow a ring they wear on the same finger and have a jeweler size it.
    See it at King BabyOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  8. Art printAbout $15

    Georgia O’Keeffe Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses print, 11 x 14 in

    Best for Skull lovers who prefer quiet, modernist art to gothic imagery

    It gives them a skull painting by Georgia O’Keeffe, printed by the museum that owns the original. O’Keeffe collected the cow skull in New Mexico in the summer of 1930 and painted Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses the following year; the canvas is in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection. The unmatted print is 11 by 14 inches on premium cardstock, with the image about 11.5 by 7.5 inches. It shows the skull as a still-life subject, calm rather than spooky, and a generic skull poster cannot offer that history.

    Skip it if
    They only like gothic or horror imagery; O’Keeffe’s skulls read as quiet desert still lifes.
    Before you buy
    It is a standard 11 by 14 inch size, so a ready-made frame fits. The museum shop also sells the image on a $135 silk scarf.
    See it at shop.artic.eduOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  9. Candle holderAbout $33

    Velero de Calaveras clay candle holder from San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca

    Best for Skull lovers who want candlelit décor made by Mexican artisans

    It gives them skull décor they can light, handmade in Oaxaca rather than molded in a factory. A workshop in San Bartolo Coyotepec, Oaxaca, hand-crafts each clay candle holder and hand-carves designs inspired by Mexico’s fauna, so each one is unique. It stands about 9 inches high and 3.5 inches wide. Candles matter in Día de los Muertos, where they light the spirits’ path on family ofrendas, and this piece also works on any table the rest of the year.

    Skip it if
    They need a holder for a specific candle size; the listing does not say which candles fit.
    Before you buy
    It is fragile and does not qualify for the shop’s free shipping, so budget extra for delivery.
    See it at Guelaguetza DesignsOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  10. Decorative boxAbout $550

    Jonathan Adler Brass Skull Box

    Best for Design lovers who want one sculptural skull on a shelf, not a Halloween prop

    It gives them a skull that works as polished décor all year. Jonathan Adler calls it a stylized, minimalist take on Hamlet’s bestie: a brass skull with a hidden hinge at the back that opens to a spot for storing small things, set on a blackened brass base. It suits a desk, a dresser or a bookshelf and can hold rings or keys. A resin skull from a party store reads as a prop; brass reads as a design object.

    Skip it if
    $550 is more than they would spend on décor, or they prefer anatomical detail to a stylized shape.
    Before you buy
    The brand’s Skull Bookends, about $337, were sold out in September 2026.
    See it at Jonathan AdlerOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

  11. Ice moldsAbout $10

    Tovolo Skull Ice Molds, set of 2

    Best for Hosts who like a dark joke in their cocktail glass

    This is the one purely playful pick: it puts a skull in every drink they pour. Each flexible silicone mold makes one large, highly detailed skull-shaped cube that melts slowly, and the molds stack under a tight lid that keeps out freezer odors. They are dishwasher safe and measure 4.75 by 3 by 5 inches. At about $10, it is an easy add-on to a bigger gift, and it works year-round, not just in October.

    Skip it if
    Their freezer is packed; the stacked molds stand 5 inches tall.
    See it at TovoloOr compare prices on
    Google Shopping

Before you buy

Where this gift can go wrong

  • Sugar-skull face paint or costumes given as a gift. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday for honoring the dead; give its art, made by Mexican or Mexican American artists, and skip the costume.
  • Anything made from real bone or sold as a real human skull. Replicas, art and books cover the same interest without the ethical and legal questions.
  • Plated costume jewelry that tarnishes within weeks. If they wear skulls every day, sterling silver lasts and can be polished.
  • Assuming every skull fan is goth. Some love anatomy, some Stoic philosophy, some Mexican folk art; ask what drew them to skulls in the first place.
  • Halloween-aisle décor that comes down on November 1. Choose pieces that still make sense on a shelf in March.

Useful answers

Questions people ask

What is a memento mori gift?

A memento mori is an artwork or object meant to remind its owner of mortality; the Latin means “remember you must die.” Tate notes that a basic memento mori painting pairs a portrait with a skull, and hourglasses, clocks, candles, fruit and flowers carry the same message. Today it can be a pocket coin like the Daily Stoic medallion, a talisman like Pyrrha’s or a vanitas print. The point is to use time well, not gloom.

Is it respectful to give Día de los Muertos art as a gift?

Yes, when it is art rather than costume. Día de los Muertos is a Mexican holiday on November 1 and 2, rooted in Indigenous traditions that treat death as a continuation of life, and UNESCO added it to its intangible cultural heritage list in 2008. Buy from Mexican artisans or Mexican American artists, learn what the imagery means, and present it as something to appreciate all year, not as Halloween décor.

Who created La Catrina?

José Guadalupe Posada, the Mexican graphic artist who lived from 1852 to 1913, first drew the lively skeleton in a large plumed hat that became La Calavera Catrina. Britannica calls her a national symbol of modern Mexico, often featured on altars to the dead. Posada made his calaveras as popular prints, often as social and political satire, and Dover’s Posada’s Popular Mexican Prints collects close to 300 of his engravings.

What skull jewelry works as a gift?

Check the metal and the fit first. Solid sterling silver lasts and can be polished, while plated pieces wear through. A pendant avoids the ring-size problem: Pyrrha’s Memento Mori talisman is cast in recycled sterling silver and measures about 19 by 21 millimeters, though its chain is sold separately. For a ring, King Baby’s sterling Open Ring with Skulls comes in sizes 6 to 9, so borrow a ring they wear to check the size.

Research record

What we read

The sources that shaped this list, beyond the product pages linked with each pick. Last reviewed September 2026.

01UNESCO: Indigenous festivity dedicated to the dead (Día de Muertos)ich.unesco.org02Britannica: Day of the Dead, origins, ofrendas and La Catrinabritannica.com03Tate: Memento mori, art termtate.org.uk04Self Help Graphics & Art: Día de los Muertos printsselfhelpgraphics.com

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