We hit a certain point in life where loved ones begin to pass on. This past week my husband’s grandfather passed away at the age of 81. A year and a half ago my dad passed away. There is a big difference in losing a loved one and losing a parent or a child or a sibling or a spouse. I have had friends from high school pass away and I grieved, but losing a parent was a completely different story. I had a friend phrase it this week as joining a club you never really wanted to be a member of.
I found myself in a discussion with one of my husband’s aunts and we talked about how to grieve and remember this person. So that is where my creative solution for this week comes into play.
When my dad passed away in December ”08, my mother and I purchased circle of life trio rings. The rings represented our family unit- my mom, dad & me; just the three of us. I believe jewelry is a great memorial. It is a physical reminder of your lost loved one- something you can touch, feel and reminisce with each touch. I have a girlfriend who has a locket around her neck with a bit of her mother’s ashes inside. It brings comfort in those moments of loneliness.
So this is the idea I shared with his aunt – take a pair of her father’s cufflinks and turn them into earings or a ring. It is a fairly simple process to do yourself, or you can take to a custom jeweler if you prefer, or contact me and I can whip up a vintage button design for you!
For a ring, you need a ring base (the best online resource is http://www.jansjewels.com/); then you will need to cut the cuff link stem off and glue the cuff link face to the ring base (E6000 is an awesome glue for jewelry) and wah lah you have a customized, personalized memorial ring!
In Loving Memory, Marshall “Pop” Southerland, 5/26/2010