Keeping loved ones close

After a cremation has taken place, there are several options available to families about what they can do with their loved one’s ashes. There’s no immediate hurry to make a decision and we can look after ashes for a little while, although some families do take the ashes home shortly after a cremation.

After a period of reflection, some people simply keep the urn at home, while others make the decision to inter it in a cemetery or scatter the ashes – often in a spot that means something to that person.

It is possible to do several different things with ashes and this can help to fulfil wishes to different members of the family. For example, part of the ashes could be scattered (in different places) and the rest could be interred.

Here at Tester & Jones, we also offer the option of having some of the ashes made into jewellery or memorial keepsakes. And, over the past 20 years, we’ve seen how much comfort people gain through keeping their loved one close via memorial keepsakes – from tealights to cuddle stones - and jewellery and we offer a wide variety. These might contain a small amount of your loved ones ashes or a lock of hair, while we also work with memorial companies that can add a fingerprint to a piece of jewellery or a short message in that person’s handwriting (saved from a birthday card or note etc).

We deal with a number of keepsake companies here at Tester & Jones but we’d also always suggest that if a family finds a memorial item they like, perhaps online, it’s worth us getting in touch as sometimes, as a funeral director, we can get a better price or source something similar.

There are broadly two different ways of adding ashes to jewellery and one way is to buy a piece of jewellery or a crystal keepsake, which includes a section within its design for some ashes. We offer a selection of jewellery and keepsakes from a business called Crystal Memorials that offers items such as Swarovski Crystal Tealights or Swarovski Crystal Hearts, that can be held in the palm of your hand, as well as pendants.

We also work with a firm that offers cuddle stones and memory peddles. These come in a variety of colours and are beautifully smooth and tactile. They look stunning as ornaments, while you can also hold them in your hand for comfort. These items have an opening underneath, in which you can place a lock of hair from your loved one or some of their ashes.

Alternatively, some families opt for having a small amount of ashes combined with glass. Here at Tester & Jones, we work with companies including Ashes into Glass and Ever With, that both offer a variety of items including pendants, rings and paperweights.

We also work with companies that offer jewellery for men, such as cufflinks and rings. One version of the cufflinks incorporates a little ashes or hair within coloured resin. The resin, which comes in 12 different colours, has the appearance of a glossy stone. We can also source various designs of cufflinks, where a little of the ashes can be held in a chamber incorporated within the cufflinks.

We have quite a few items on display in our offices, so do drop by if you’d like to find out more: Tester & Jones Funeral Services, London Road, Crowborough TN6 2TT