Beads by Chellie Purnell: Memorial Beads

Hi there!

The other day I got a little commission request for a memorial bead, so I thought that it might be nice to show some of my memorial beads and explain a little bit about them.

When someone loses a close relative or a beloved pet there is a real need for some people to keep a little memory of them close to their heart.

I know this all too well as when my beloved Dennis died (our eleven year old chocolate Labrador) I kept his ashes under my bed for a year before I finally decided to do something with them. I just felt happy knowing that he was near me every night when I was asleep. It gave me the connection with him that I still really needed even after he had passed away.

It is possible to encase fragments of cremated ashes within glass and I have some beads that I've made in this way here to show you. By doing this a little piece of your loved ones can be kept near you at all times and any time you want to you can look at them and remember them. It's also nice because they give you a tangible reminder that you can actually hold in your hand and touch which is very comforting!

The memorial pieces don't have to necessarily be jewellery.

Men for example might prefer a little glass pebble that they can keep in a drawer or even in a pocket. or little bead on a string or ribbon which is simply intended as a keepsake rather than a bead to be worn.

That's enough chat. I will let the beads do the talking for the most part!

This is a colour-changing 'Silver Glass' pendant. You can see the little swirls of ash encircle the bubble.

Here is the same pendant with a matching set of charm beads.

The following items were individual charm bead commissions:

(There is a lovely swirl around this one)

This one has a kind of Galaxy/Space kind of feel about it.... It was made big enough to be worn as a pendant on a cord or leather thong. Alternatively it can be worn on the wrist like a regular charm bead.

This one was such a beauty, I couldn't leave it out!

The next set of beads are more 'Organic' in style and more natural and earthy looking:

This picture shows a pretty good close up of what's going on inside the bead. I love the design that the ash helps to make inside. Each one is so individual and unique.

The last set shown here are much more simple in style and the ash particles are more visible in some cases. These ones I like to call 'Clarity'. Even though they can be made in all kinds of colours I think blues, greens and purples look the best.

These show various levels of visibility of the ash. Some people like that the ash is almost fully hidden so only they know that it's there. Other's like it to be fully visible...