Anyone who has had to plan a funeral knows that dying isn’t cheap.
After the loss of a loved one, the financial blow that comes with a funeral costs makes a shitty time even worse.
But, when it comes to dying, there are new, innovative ideas as to what to do with our loved ones remains that don’t involve a costly coffin, burial plot, and headstone.
A few months back, we told you about the brilliant idea of turning your loved ones into trees, to create forests to visit as opposed to cemeteries. Now, people are starting to turn the remains of their loved ones into jewellery.
And we think that ‘cremation jewellery’ could really start to catch on.
Of course, the option of cremation has gained popularity in recent years. Not only is it less costly, for some, the option of having their loved one’s ashes nearby at all times – or sprinkling them somewhere special – is more appealing than lowering them six-feet under in a coffin.
Instead of a traditional urn, about a decade back, the option emerged to turn the ashes of your loved ones into high-grade diamonds. The thing is – not surprisingly – that option isn’t exactly cheap.
Now, there’s a more affordable choice when it comes to turning your loved ones – both people and animals – into jewellery.
Since 2012, a startup called Grateful Glass has been turning remains into hand-blown glass pendants, rings, cuffs, and orbs. The jewellery is all made with Pyrex glass and ash. It’s created by 31-year-old Matt Olian, who discovered a passion for blowing glass in high school and a niche for creating memorial jewellery years later when he was asked to do so by a woman at one if his shows.
Though the demand is high as the idea catches on, Olian makes all of the pieces himself. All of the sample pieces are even made with his grandmother’s ashes.
After receiving the ash from customers, he combines it with molten glass, using his own encasement methods to showcase the remains in the best way that he can. Though the varying chemical compounds of the ashes cause them to react differently to the glass each time, the remains are always visible. They form varying patterns, bubbles, and specks within the pieces.
According to the Business Insider, Olian said that business grew by 25 per cent on pieces that range from $150 to $375.
It sounds like a pretty sweet idea to us – that is, as long as you’re not prone to losing jewellery.
All photos courtesy of Grateful Glass