Jewellery Focus February 2018 | Page 38

FEATURE WOULD YOU WEAR CREMATION ASH JEWELLERY? Would you wear cremation ash jewellery? Cremation ash jewellery seems to have struck a chord with online communities, indicating a more positive response to what some would consider to be an unusually dark way to honour our deceased. ALESSANDRO CARRARA speaks with industry professionals to get a better understanding of this seemingly controversial, yet thought provoking form of jewellery S avvy social media users in the jewellery world might have noticed the increased popularity of memorial pieces trending online in 2018. For the uninitiated, memorial jewellery is designed to either hold cremation ash in a small capsule or is made entirely from the ash itself. It’s a naturally divisive form of jewellery, and in just a couple of lines at the start of this feature, you probably already know what your stance is, positive or negative. Memorial jeweller Ashes into Glasses has over a million people following its Facebook page and receives numerous posts from clients showcasing its products on a weekly basis. Additionally, those posts come from a huge variety of people, including mothers who have lost their children, sons and daughters mourning the loss of a sibling or a parent and even those who have had memorial jewellery created from the ashes of pets. Many of the posters thank the company for being able to capture the memories of departed loved ones in a tangible way. Adele Gregory writes: “The ring I received today is more than just a piece of jewellery this is having my boy by my side where ever I am, forever.” Alice Frigo posts: “The pieces you create are so much more than just a ring or necklace”. For these individuals, cremation jewellery is much ‘‘ Memorial jeweller Ashes into Glasses has over a million people following its Facebook page and receives numerous posts from clients showcasing its products on a weekly basis ‘‘ 38 JEWELLERY FOCUS February 2018 | jewelleryfocus.co.uk