California-based artist Merry Coor has been making glass beads since 2000, but everything changed last year when a young couple asked her if she could incorporate some of the ashes from a dear friend lost too soon into a bead as a keepsake.
“My bead making now gave me a new purpose, and a way to honor others, both living and passed,” writes Coor on her Etsy. “It was 80 degrees in my studio that day, but I had the chills the entire time I was making the beads.”
Coor makes each of these memorial Ash Beads by hand, one at a time in her own studio in Eureka, California.
“If you decide to have me create an ash bead, I will send you a padded, pre-paid envelope, along with instructions and a small tin where you will place the ashes. Send me about ½ teaspoon of ashes for each bead and any photo, letter, or story about your loved one. When your bead is complete, you will receive within 2 to 4 weeks.”
More info: Etsy (h/t: laughingsquid)
“The glass is melted and formed it into a round bead. The ashes are incorporated into a spiral design on the bead, then the entire design is sealed in a clear layer of glass. The ash becomes part of the bead and can always be kept close”
Memorial ash beads are available on Etsy.