Though the idea of cremation was initially controversial and political in nature, it has increased in popularity as more people want to keep their loved ones close to them. Many people choose to do this by having an object created from their loved ones ashes. One of the first people to patent objects made with cremation ashes was Albert Vanderlaan. His main idea was that “men of genius” (Vanderlaan 1927:1) could be memorialized with plaques mixed with their own ashes and be remembered forever instead of wasting away in a cemetery with a headstone that would weather until no one could read it. Vanderlaan also included a caveat in his patent that states that his “invention is not limited to the use of clay nor to the formation of plaques . .
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One of the ways that this is occurring is the incorporation of ash remains into jewelry. The idea of having a piece of someone included in a decorative piece of jewelry is not a new concept. In eighteenth-century England, many people wore mourning jewelry with a loved one’s hair incorporated into the design. This indicated a “change in attitudes towards death” (Holm 2004:139) during that time period. “The focus of mourning is no longer the mourned and their fame but instead the mourners and their mourning,” (Holm 2004:139) the objects with the remains of the loved one within them become ways for the mourners to express and control their grieving. The jewelry was designed to be inconspicuous to people who were not in the intimate circle of the wearer. The mourning jewelry of the past is similar to the ash jewelry of today. Both types of jewelry help the wearer remember “not the mortal body” of their loved one “but [their] immortal soul” (Holm …show more content…
She believes that by creating her artwork she is helping others on their healing journey. At her company Red Manx Studio, she makes custom jewelry, ornaments, sun catchers, and paperweights. When preparing to create art out of a deceased person or animal’s ashes, Tiffany wants to know personal information about the deceased as she says it helps her with the creative process. For each piece she needs ¼ teaspoon of cremated remains, which she wants sent to her in a Ziploc bag. If there are any ashes left after she has made the piece, she will return them with the finished product, which usually takes about 4 weeks to complete. If the product breaks at any point, she will do her best to repair it for free. Unlike, other ash jewelry makers she does not use complex chemical processes to create her art work, her process is much like regular glass blowing, she just mixes in the ashes. Her website is tastefully designed and even has a cancer awareness tab in honor of her mother. The pleasant way she presents herself and her healing art makes consumers looking for comfort and memorialization more likely to think of her as an option as they think about how to memorialize their loved ones (Koehn
One of the ways that this is occurring is the incorporation of ash remains into jewelry. The idea of having a piece of someone included in a decorative piece of jewelry is not a new concept. In eighteenth-century England, many people wore mourning jewelry with a loved one’s hair incorporated into the design. This indicated a “change in attitudes towards death” (Holm 2004:139) during that time period. “The focus of mourning is no longer the mourned and their fame but instead the mourners and their mourning,” (Holm 2004:139) the objects with the remains of the loved one within them become ways for the mourners to express and control their grieving. The jewelry was designed to be inconspicuous to people who were not in the intimate circle of the wearer. The mourning jewelry of the past is similar to the ash jewelry of today. Both types of jewelry help the wearer remember “not the mortal body” of their loved one “but [their] immortal soul” (Holm …show more content…
She believes that by creating her artwork she is helping others on their healing journey. At her company Red Manx Studio, she makes custom jewelry, ornaments, sun catchers, and paperweights. When preparing to create art out of a deceased person or animal’s ashes, Tiffany wants to know personal information about the deceased as she says it helps her with the creative process. For each piece she needs ¼ teaspoon of cremated remains, which she wants sent to her in a Ziploc bag. If there are any ashes left after she has made the piece, she will return them with the finished product, which usually takes about 4 weeks to complete. If the product breaks at any point, she will do her best to repair it for free. Unlike, other ash jewelry makers she does not use complex chemical processes to create her art work, her process is much like regular glass blowing, she just mixes in the ashes. Her website is tastefully designed and even has a cancer awareness tab in honor of her mother. The pleasant way she presents herself and her healing art makes consumers looking for comfort and memorialization more likely to think of her as an option as they think about how to memorialize their loved ones (Koehn