The creepy new way to remember loved ones
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Get ready for this new style of macabre jewelry that features the teeth of deceased loved ones.
Jacqui Williams owns the Australian company Grave Metallum Jewelery, which sells handcrafted pieces that incorporate the remains of the dead. Williams also mixes hair and ashes into their jewelry line, which includes commemorative necklaces, bracelets, and rings.
“I do this work because I want to help people deal with their grief and loss as it is guaranteed for every living being,” said Williams, 29, who lives in Melbourne.
When starting a new project, Williams gets teeth from her customers who have clung to wisdom hackers or children’s milk teeth. Some of the pearly whites that she receives are also removed from the deceased, such as
“Most mothers will have collections of their children and many people will keep their own extracted teeth and they would be found in the deceased’s estate,” Williams said.
After receiving the teeth, Williams presents them in precious metals such as silver, gold and platinum and accentuates them with precious gemstones such as sapphires and diamonds.
She often works with lost wax casting, in which pieces are carved in wax and cast in precious metal. Sometimes she makes the piece by hand from precious metal sheets, wire and stick gauge wire.
Williams’ bespoke pieces take anywhere from six to eight weeks to produce, and each cost between $ 262 and $ 7,483.
Her path to macabre jewelry art began when she worked as a gardener in a local cemetery after designing jewelry and objects at Melbourne Polytechnic. She then created Grave Metallum Jewelery while working in bars and restaurants. When business picked up, she gave up night work and hospitality and got the cemetery job. She now runs her quirky jewelry company full-time.
“As a child, I was always drawn to the morbid side of life,” she said. âMy interest in helping others deal with their grief began when I lost my best friend a few years ago. Grief is always easier to process when it is shared. “
Williams has received requests for jewelry that shows more than just teeth and hair. She was once asked to make a piece with a coil, which she refused because the intrauterine contraceptive was made of plastic. She was also asked to transform the cartridge case into a piece of jewelry for a customer whose grandfather shot himself.
Although her family and friends support her work, it is sometimes rejected by people who are disgusted with teeth and backbreaking work. For others, this new style of jewelry is a deep reminder of the legacy of loved ones.
âIt motivates me to do thought-provoking pieces with things that are often thrown away or with things that are taboo and open up [a] Talking about the macabre and morbid side of life, âshe said.
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