Everyone’s experience of grief is different, just in the same way your relationship to your lost loved one was unique and can never be replicated. It’s a complex and difficult time with many people experiencing the different stages of grief at different moments in time. It might start with denial, which then turns to anger, then depression, before going back to anger again. Eventually though, you’ll find groundwork for acceptance.
Here at Inscripture, we have made it our mission to create a range of memorial jewellery that is designed to support you through every stage of grief. We know not all our designs will work for everyone, but we hope we’re able to create something unique and personalised that will help you navigate the grieving process. In our experience, we’ve found that certain types of memorial jewellery help those in different stages of grief. To give you some inspiration and comfort during your grief journey, here are our choices of memorial jewellery for each step of the journey…
Stage 1: Denial & Photo Jewellery
They say the first stage of grief is denial, a time that is characterised by shock and disbelief. It’s important to know that everyone finds the reality of loss difficult to accept and it’s okay if your mind is struggling to acknowledge the loss of your loved one. During this stage of grief, we’ve found our photo jewellery can be especially comforting.
Engraved with real photographs of you and your loved ones, our photo necklaces, bracelets and charms give you the opportunity to carry one of your favourite snapshots around with you, wherever you go. By keeping their image close, it helps to create a sense of presence that can help ease the stage of denial and slowly introduce the reality of their departure.
Stage 2: Anger & Handwriting Jewellery
Anger is one of the most natural stages of grief. It’ll show as frustration and helplessness and you might find yourself expressing anger towards the situation, yourself or others. It’s important to find a way to channel and express these emotions safely, so as not to hurt yourself or those around you. We’ve found that many of our customers find handwriting jewellery can offer a meaningful outlet during this time.
Our handwriting jewellery allows you to engrave a piece of your loved one’s handwriting onto a pendant, bracelet or charm. It could be from a short note they left you, their name written on the end of a birthday card or even their signature. The act of wearing their words so close to your heart can be incredibly powerful and offer a sense of presence that helps you focus your emotions on something more positive than the anger you might feel.
Stage 3: Bargaining & Fingerprint Jewellery
During the bargaining stage of grief, it’s common to dwell on the “what ifs”, thinking of the different scenarios where things might have turned out differently. It can often be a stage where you’ll struggle with feelings of guilt and a desire to negotiate a different outcome. Many people also question whether grief is normal during this stage, especially when emotions feel exhausting or difficult to understand. But please know that it is and that nothing is your fault. To help, we recommend our fingerprint jewellery as a way of grounding yourself during this time.
Our fingerprint jewellery captures the unique fingerprint of your loved one, forever immortalised onto a selection of 925 sterling silver and 18ct gold designs. Wearing a piece of jewellery decorated with your lost one’s fingerprint is a comforting reminder, both of their unique personality but also the irreplaceable role they played in your life. It can be just the thing to ground you in the reality of your experience and the impact they had on your life, rather than the futile “what ifs.” During moments like this, finding small sources of comfort can make a real difference while navigating the grieving process.
Stage 4: Depression & Ashes into Jewellery
Possibly one of the most challenging stages of grief, the depression stage is marked by deep sadness and a sense of emptiness. It’s a time when you’ll feel the full weight of the loss and the absence of your loved one. It’s more important than ever to find ways to bring comfort to yourself during this stage. For many, ashes into jewellery can offer that very sense of solace.
Our ashes into jewellery collection captures a small amount of your loved one’s ashes and suspends them into colourful resin, creating a beautiful and deeply personal piece of memorial jewellery. You can personalise the ashes jewellery however you like, by adding engravings, additional charms and choosing from 12 colours of resin. The designs allow you to carry a physical part of them with you, providing you with a sense of closeness and continuity. For many people, this becomes a huge part of how memorial jewellery helps with grief, especially during the more difficult emotional stages after loss.
Stage 5: Acceptance & Urn Jewellery
Reaching the acceptance stage can be a huge relief. We know that it doesn’t imply you are “over” the loss, but it does mean you have found a way to live with it. It means you’ve acknowledged your new reality and you’re able to move forward while still honouring the memory of your loved one. There’s no fixed answer for how long grief lasts, because acceptance looks different for everyone and often changes over time. But oneway to symbolise this acceptance is by wearing urn jewellery filled with the ashes of those you’ve lost.
Our self-fill ashes jewellery is designed to hold a small amount of your loved one’s ashes secured within pendants, bangles and charms. It’s a beautiful way of discreetly keeping your loved one’s memory close while also celebrating their life and your acceptance of their passing. All our urn jewellery arrives with a special Funnel Kit so you can fill the design with ashes in your own time.
No matter which stage of grief you find yourself in, know that our memorial jewellery can be a powerful tool for healing and remembrance. Let us help you reach acceptance and commemorate the memory of your loved one in a unique and special way by getting in touch with our team of jewellery specialists today. Alternatively, explore our selections of memorial jewellery directly on our website here.
