Precious memories in Cornish sea glass
I was really honoured to be asked recently by a customer if I would incorporate some of her mother's ashes into a personalised ring pendant. I thought it was such a lovley idea, and I knew it was something I wanted to do the moment I got the commission.
I had to think long and hard about how to create a tiny space within the piece in which to place the ashes, somewhere where they would be safe and secure for years to come, and close to my customer whenever she wears the pendant.
My customer and I worked together, and decided on a bezel setting, the first one I have hung within one of my personalised pendants. The ashes needed to be placed within the bezel, with the glass in front, so I created a deep bezel, with a little chamber at the back for the ashes, along with a fairly thin piece of Cornish sea glass that I luckily had already, in the right colour, which was placed at the front.
I made life slightly easier for myself by hand sanding the glass at the edges with a piece of course aluminium abrasive, so it was more rounded than it had been when it was washed up on shore, and so easier to set within the hand shaped bezel.
I used small pieces of silver inside the bezel, to create little 'brackets' on which to place a second 'shelf' layer of thin .3mm silver. Between the two layers of silver is where the ashes are carefully stored.
The second 'floor' was put in, and sealed with an almost indestructable, glass like jewellery adhesive. The aqua sea glass was then fitted on top of this, and the silver bezel pushed over it and finished by hand.
I'm so pleased with the pendant, with it's lovely Cornish stamping on it:
"
Minhwarth. Kar. Bew a-rag" -
Smile. Love. Live on.
