Ashes Jewellery has been a relatively new style of Jewellery to come out but the concept has been around for thousands of years. You can see memorial keepsakes through most of history, from Victorian Hair Lockets to Tribes keeping bone fragments of lost loved ones. I think having something physical of a lost loved one has been a comfort for many people over the generations. 

I started this company after losing my daughter Honey, I wanted something to keep her memory alive and to offer an affordable memorial keepsake. I understand that many companies need to charge high prices, their advertisement fees and commisions they give to funeral directors and crematoriums all need to be accounted for.

I wanted to offer another option as having a piece of jewellery that means so much doesn't need to cost hundreds or thousands of pounds. Giving people the option to be able to buy multiple pieces to gift to their family member and loved ones as the prices were reasonable and with so many different options. 

When I first decided to work with ashes in jewellery I spent a lot of time finding the best materials the best methods and spent a year perfecting these methods and materials. My beloved cat Pepper ashes were what I used to experiment and I have kept every single misshaped piece I made. I'm still always improving my methods and skills and searching for better metals and new styles. I love what I do and always want to improve and give the best I can to my customers. 

When it came to putting this new jewellery I offered out into the world I was faced with a mix of views from my customers. I had some people who were really happy and couldn't wait to see what was coming and I also had a lot of people who were disgusted and I lost a lot of followers on my social media. This hit me pretty hard as I didn't realise it would create such a diverse reaction in people.

As I was doing lots of research on how other ashes companies dealt with the sensitivity of the work I realised that I didn't like the impersonal way they dealt with the ashes. I knew working with ashes would be something very emotional for me, these people and pets were family members, Grandparents.. Mothers.. Fathers.. Children... Beloved cats and dogs. I wanted to know there story so when working with them I could feel like I was a part of there story.  

The people and pets I was putting into the jewellery were someones everything like Honey was to me. I wanted the people trusting me with there loved one's ashes to know I cared and they were not just another order to make. I wanted them to have a name, not just a number, I wanted to know what their favourite song was so I could play it while making them into a keepsake and know a little bit about what they loved and cared about. 

Making this jewellery has been the easiest and hardest pieces to make. The love I feel when someone has their jewellery and knowing it offers such comfort makes everything I have done worthwhile, but it is still something that makes my heart hurt, every person and pet I get in makes me ache to know the loss these people who made the order are feeling. I know what I do doesn't change the world, but I think it can make someone who is facing a different world have something to comfort them. 

We all have things happen in our lives that make us feel like there is no light in the world anymore. I know I will never get to see my daughter grow old and a piece of my world will always be a bit darker for that, but I decided to try adding a little light to people lives who are facing their darkest days. 

It's not what has happened to us in our lives that define who we are but how we deal with what has happened. I chose love over hate and resentment for what has happened in my life. I want to always remember Honey and know that her blessing in my life has made this business happen and helped many other people who are suffering a loss in their lives.