Memorial Ash Beads: Artist Turns Your Loved Ones' Ashes Into Jewelry

How would you like to keep the ashes of your loved ones? California-based artist Merry Coor would like to make them into beautiful memorial ash beads. These tangible mementos of your loved ones can be worn on the neck, to always keep them close to you. The bead is made from rods of special, colored, silvered glass, which are melted and formed into a bead. The ashes are then incorporated into its spiral pattern, and the entire assembly is then encased in glass. Finally, the customer has a choice of clasp and chain. The beads themselves are blue-green, representing whatever you think fit: the heavens, a planet, universe, and so forth. Merry Coor has been making glass beads since the year 2000. It was only last year when a couple asked her to make a bead incorporating the remains of their friend who fell before his time. "The experience was amazing for me. As I made this special glass bead, I meditated, pondered, and let my mind free. I felt it was one of the most important beads I had ever made in my life, and I’ve made thousands of beads over the years.” It appears that the whole process of making memorial beads is a thing of almost religious importance. Considering the nature of the service rendered, a certain amount of reverence that blends with over a decade worth of honed skill is really fitting. More info: ashbeads.com | Etsy (h/t: boredpanda)