Usually our jewelry store is the happiest place around. People come to us to make it possible to propose, to marry, to commemorate anniversaries, graduations, babies being born, celebrate holidays. We sell future family heirlooms. But, occasionally, we deal with loss.
Karen lost her brother, Brian, on May 16th after a courageous two-and-a-half-year battle with cancer. Karen, herself a cancer survivor, was there to support Brian throughout the fight. While in the funeral home in Jacksonville, Karen and her sister decided to put some of her brother’s ashes into pieces of jewelry. Karen had Brian’s ashes placed in a sterling silver bangle bracelet.
Karen came to me on June 25th with the bangle and a yellow gold diamond ring that had belonged to her father. Dad passed away 12 years ago – in 2007. His ring reminded Karen of him. But it just languished in a drawer.
Together, we came up with a plan. We would remove the two diamonds from Dad’s ring and melt the ring to allow us to surround the ash holder with yellow gold from her father’s ring. We would also incorporate the diamonds into the bangle. It took a solid day-and-a-half of work from our fabulous jewelers to produce the result you see below.
Karen picked up her bangle today. Her response? “Dad is wrapped around my brother now, holding him forever”. I couldn’t help but shed a tear. Karen feels she is reunited with her brother until she sees him again someday in heaven.
