There are countless ways to celebrate a loved one that has passed away, from more traditional celebration ceremonies and scattering of the ashes to personalise unique events. Losing someone close to you can be one of the most challenging things to overcome, and you may wish to continue celebrating their life to help bring you some closure and help you cope with the grief.

In previous posts on the Inscripture blog, we have discussed other memorial ideas to celebrate your loved ones, such as ordering memorial jewellery or creating a memory jar. However, there is no one-size-fits-all way to plan a memorial moment. So here are five more ideas for celebrating someone’s life after they have passed away.

5 Memorial Ideas For Loved Ones That Have Passed

1.   Travel to your loved one’s favourite places

Travel to their favourite sites, countries or restaurants, and do what they love to do and walk in their footsteps for a few hours or days.

2.   Celebrate their birthday each year

Take the time to remember the person you lost every year on their birthday. This can be a barbecue, a small get-together, or a large party – whatever you think the person would have enjoyed. You can organise the same event every year or try something new and write them a letter to tell them about your adventure and leave it on their grave.

This can be a great way for families to gather each year and continue the traditions for years to come. In addition, it can bring your family closer together and bond over their shared grief.

3.   Plant a garden in their memory

Creating a natural garden gives you and the family and friends of the loved one a place to visit when they want to remember the person who has been lost. Gardens can also improve local biodiversity and give back to the community so others can appreciate the small things in life and reflect.

4.   Wear matching ashes jewellery

If you have lost someone in your family, you may wish to request to turn some of their ashes into jewellery so you can all keep a part of them with you. Additionally, it may be nice to order the same or similar pieces as your other family members so you can all have something that reminds you of each other.

5.   Start a nonprofit in their honour

If your lost friend or family member was passionate about a specific cause or perhaps died of a certain condition, you may wish to open a nonprofit in their honour. This is a lovely way to further their legacy and the passions that they had throughout their life. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, just start locally and raise funds and awareness for the causes that were close to their heart.

Get Creative!

Get creative with it! Ask your loved ones for their ideas and personalise a memorial day for your loved one.

You can honour your loved ones and their legacy in many different ways. Of course, the formal memorial service or funeral can help their friends and family members come together to celebrate their life. Still, you don’t need to stop there, and you can continue having more memorial moments for years to come.

Unlike a broken arm, a doctor can’t tell you how long you will be recovering from grief. It can vary from person to person and situation to situation.

Losing a loved one is a very challenging part of life, and it can be hard to cope with the grief that comes along with that. You may even find that your grief takes a while to sink in as you take some time to process the loss. There is no cookie-cutter way to experience this type of suffering; therefore, there is no way to know how long your grief will last.

Grief Over Time

People will start to feel better as time goes on, and they will become better at coping with the loss of their loved one. But the grieving process will always take time. Things such as getting up, going to sleep, or eating may become more manageable, and day-to-day life will be easier to handle. Therefore, it’s important to accept help and support during this time as it won’t last forever.

What Does Grief Feel Like?

Understanding the signs of grief in yourself and others is important, so you know when to seek support or identify someone going through a grieving process.

3 Common Symptoms of Grief:

Emotions

Anxiousness, sadness, hopelessness, numbness or anger are common emotions during a grieving process, and they may even become overwhelming at times. However, these are normal emotions to feel considering what you or your loved one is dealing with.

Physical symptoms of stress

Unfortunately, emotional stress can take a physical toll on the body.

These symptoms include a racing heartbeat, fatigue, difficulty breathing, and weight loss or weight gain due to changes in appetite. These symptoms are common during grief but tend to ease with time and good support.

Depressing thoughts

It is not uncommon to have very negative thoughts and feelings of hopelessness, lack of motivation or extreme sadness. You may experience confusion, and disbelief and have difficulty concentrating at work or talking to others because the grief may become all-consuming.

If you or someone you know feels depressed, there are bereavement support lines you can call or you can request to speak to your GP about counselling or other coping mechanisms for your grief and depression.

Summary

You may find that you go through the stages of grief multiple times or have a rollercoaster-like experience during your grieving process. Familiarising yourself with what grief feels like is an excellent way to self-reflect on your experience with grief and notice the symptoms of grief, so you know when to seek further support from friends and family or a professional.

Some people find wearing memorial jewellery can help them with their grief. For example, you may wish to choose something to personalise, such as photo jewellery or paw print jewellery, to help you subtly notify others of your loss. Or you may want to wear your piece of memory jewellery as a personal reminder of the person you have lost.

Mourning a lost loved one is something humans have done since the beginning of time. As we are sentient beings that feel deep emotional connections to others. The care and love we express towards each other were just as critical when humans lived in tribes as it is today. Humans have an innate desire to care for our young, old or sick family members and close friends. Therefore, it is no surprise that remembrance jewellery has been used for centuries as a way to commemorate and remember our loved ones.

What does Remembrance Jewellery Look Like?

Some people choose to wear something simple to remind them of the people they have lost. Others prefer to wear something that others may notice as mourning jewellery and comment on, so they can open up a conversation about their loved ones and keeptheir memory alive.

Many common shapes and symbols have been used in remembrance jewellery throughout its history, such as:

●      Heart – love

●      Circles or discs – eternity or unity

●      Trees – life and nature.

●      Robins – represent the phrase ‘robins appear when loved ones are near’ in Robin Jewellery

●      Bees – teamwork and unity

●      Feathers – honour, wisdom and freedom

●      Angels or angel wings – protection, love and courage

Remembrance Jewellery in Ancient Rome

Even the Ancient Romans used to use remembrance jewellery. They used intricate designs, colours and even incorporated personal objects to enhance the meaning of the accessories. There has even been evidence to show that they used bones and teeth in their jewellery to personalise it.

Although some archaeologists believe the use of body parts may have been a status symbol, it’s also likely that the Romans used these to commemorate their loved ones and bring them good luck.

Remembrance Jewellery in Victoria England

Remembrance jewellery is sometimes known as cremation, mourning or memorial jewellery.

Mourning jewellery, which became popular during the Victorian Era, is one form of remembrance jewellery that uses elements, such as hair or ashes, to personalise the jewellery and increase its sentimental value. At the end of the Victorian Era, the wealthier people in society were using photography to document their families and therefore these photos were also used in jewellery.

Although some of these trends, including the use of hair, aren’t popular today, some items have stood the test of time including making ashes into jewellery or keeping a photo in a locket.

Modern Remembrance Jewellery

People still find memory jewellery helpful when they are grieving as it acts as a beautiful way to commemorate a passed loved one.

Inscripture offers a considerable range of memorial jewellery to allow you to honour your loved ones with a symbolic piece that suits your style. Popular choices include ashes jewellery, photo jewellery, handwriting jewellery and paw print jewellery to remember your furry family members. Each piece will suit different individuals, and you can browse the entire collection to find something that resonates with you and allows you to feel closer to your loved ones for years to come.

There are countless ways to celebrate their lives after they have passed and many years on, so we have compiled 21 fabulous ideas to help inspire you to get creative when you are planning an event or another unique way to mark their life. Allow your shared memories with a lost loved one to live on by commemorating them.

As a memorial jewellery brand, we have spoken to numerous people about how they have coped with their bereavement. While some people prefer to mourn in private, others prefer to gather their nearest and dearest while grieving. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, so get creative and find a way that suits you or use this list for some inspiration.

21+ Ways to Commemorate a Lost Loved One

1.    Read their favourite book
2.    Do a random act of kindness for a stranger, such as paying ahead for someone’s order in a drive-through order or giving someone some flowers
3.    Write them a letter to tell them about your life and what you have been up to. You can keep this in your home or deliver it to their grave
4.    Cook their favourite meal and enjoy it while watching their favourite TV show or movie

Other Ways to Celebrate a Lost Loved One

Here is a quick recap of the other celebration and memorial ideas from the previous posts on the Inscripture blog:

5.    Hold onto something of theirs
6.    Frame something significant
7.    Organise a memorial bench
8.    Create personalised memorial jewellery
9.    Donate to their favourite non-profit organisation
10. Plant a tree for them
11. Make a memory jar
12. Travel to your loved one’s treasured places
13. Celebrate their birthday
14. Grow a community garden in their memory
15. Start a charity for a cause they cared about

Ways to Mark Pet Loss

Losing a furry family member can be just as hard to deal with as losing a person you are close to; pet loss is a valid cause for grieving. Unfortunately, many people who have not had pets or shared the same experience of having animals in their home can’t relate to the hole they leave in your everyday life when they pass. However, we believe that pet loss should be taken seriously.

Here are six ways to celebrate your pet’s life and mourn your loss:

16. Hold a pet memorial
17. Give yourself a dog memorial or cat memorial gift
18. Volunteer your time at an animal shelter
19. Donate to an animal charity
20. Order a canvas print of your favourite photo with your pet and proudly display it on your wall
21. Wear an item of personalised paw print jewellery to remember them

Check out our previous post on pet memorial ideas for more information.

How to Order Memorial Jewellery to Commemorate a Loved One

If you think you would benefit from some memory jewellery, we have some handy guides on how to order memorial jewellery and ashes jewellery. Otherwise, feel free to browse your favourite category and choose from pieces such as handwriting jewellery, robin jewellery, or photo jewellery.

A condolence message can be as simple as a text message or voicemail or as formal as a written letter. The message will convey your sadness for the recipient’s loss and allow you to express sympathy for what they are going through. It can be comforting to receive a condolence message when you lose someone, as it can serve as a reminder that you have a good support network. Here is the Inscripture team’s best advice for writing a heartfelt condolence message.

Tips for Writing a Condolence Message

A condolence message can include several elements, including memories of their lost loved one and an offer of love for the person experiencing this loss. Take the time to figure out what the person who is grieving needs, how you can best comfort them with your words and personalise your message, so it is more genuine.

People experiencing bereavement often feel overwhelmed, so it is best to keep the message short and sweet while covering the key points. Use our handy checklist to make sure to cover all the important factors when writing a thoughtful condolence message.

Condolence Message Checklist

Include the name of the person that has passed away. By doing this, you are acknowledging the person and the legacy that they left behind.
Express how they impacted your life and how sorry you are for their loss. By sharing this, their loved ones know that their legacy lives on in the impacts that they made.

Describe an enjoyable memory you shared with the person who passed away. This story can serve as a reminder of their loved one’s wonderful life and will hopefully put a smile on their face.

Tell their loved ones about the qualities of their loved ones that will continue in their legacy and for years to come or remind them of a time when they helped someone else.

Make sure that they know that you’re always there for them if they need any support during their grieving process. This is an integral part of the condolence message as they are likely going through a tough time and may need to lean on others during their grieving process.

Examples of what you can write in a condolence message:

●      “We are sorry for your loss.”

●      “I am thinking of you and your family at this time.”

●      “We are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers.”

●       “If there is anything we can do for you at this time, please let us know, as we would be happy to help in any way we can.”

Summary

Writing a condolence message can be challenging as you may question your wording or wonder how to express your sympathy. However, you can’t go far wrong if you write from the heart and remind the recipient that you are here for them if they need you. You may wish to include a memorial gift, such as memorial jewellery or flowers, in your letter or let your words speak for themselves.

It can be hard to know what to do to comfort someone dealing with a loss or know how to best approach talking about their bereavement. Everyone experiences grief differently, and there is no step-by-step guide to helping someone with their grief.

Things To Say To Someone Grieving A Loss

Share fond memories

If you are also suffering from the same loss, it could help you both to reflect on the experiences you shared with your loved one and reminisce about the good times.

Validate all their feelings

Express to them that their grief is a normal response in this situation.

It can be hard to remember to give yourself time off and make allowances for yourself when grieving. Therefore, having someone remind them that their feelings are normal and valid can help them take a step back and give themselves time and space to mourn.

Sympathise with how challenging this experience is

You can never know how someone else is feeling; everyone is experiencing grief in their way. So don’t start making their grief about you and endlessly share how awful it was when you were going through grief. However, it can be helpful to simply state that you recognise how difficult this time is for them, and you will do your best to understand what they are going through.

Actively listen

Sometimes it’s better not to say anything and if you don’t know what to say to comfort someone, ask!

You could make suggestions and see what they feel would be the most helpful support in their time of need. For example, you could suggest distracting them, talking about the person and sharing memories, or discussing how the grief affects them and the symptoms they are experiencing.

Being an active listener can be one of the most powerful ways to show support and love for someone who is grieving. Be their shoulder to cry on, and don’t offer advice if this isn’t what they need.

Remind them you are here for them if they need you

Before you wrap up a conversation about grief, it’s always a good idea to reiterate that you are here for them if they need you in the future. Although your close friends and family will know this deep down, confirming this to your friends and family who may not be feeling themselves is always encouraging.

What NOT To Say To Someone Dealing With a Loss

There are many comforting things you can say to a person who is grieving. However, there are also a few sentences to avoid conveying to someone. For example, saying ‘It was God’s will’ or ‘just give it time’ isn’t helpful during someone’s bereavement process. Visit our website to find more information on what not to say.

You are likely reading this article because you are a supportive friend or family member to those around you. If you are looking for more ways to show your love to those who are grieving, we offer memorial jewellery to help people cope with a loss.

If you have ever felt a loss without closure, you may have experienced ambiguous loss. Since the pandemic, more people have reported suffering from ambiguous loss as they weren’t given the opportunity to see loved ones before they passed. However, there can be multiple causes for this type of grief.

This post will explore the definition of ambiguous loss and how to cope with it yourself or help others through it.

What is Ambiguous Loss?

Over the last 40 years, the term ambiguous loss has been established in a medical and therapy setting. It refers to the type of grief a person experiences when they aren’t given a chance to say goodbye to a loved one before they pass, do not receive all the information surrounding the person’s death or lose contact with someone without closure.

There are a few main causes for ambiguous loss:

Ambiguous loss may occur after a kidnapping, war, deportation, natural disasters, pandemics, or a pet going missing or stolen.

You may even feel ambiguous loss when you do not receive closure after losing contact with another person. For example, going through a divorce, breakup, adoption, or another separation.

Ambiguous loss can also occur when a person is physically still in your life, but you may be grieving a psychological loss. For example, this can happen when a loved one goes through brain injury, dementia, substance addiction, mental health problems etc.

Tips for Coping with Ambiguous Loss

1.   Understand the stages of grief

Although any form of grief can feel different from person to person or even between situations, acquainting yourself with the stages of grief is one way to prepare yourself for the emotions and experiences to come. You may find that you go through this cycle more than once or flip between stages as you cope with a nontypical form of grief.

You may also find it helpful to familiarise yourself with what grief can feel like, so you know when you are experiencing the symptoms of grief and when you should seek help.

2.   Seek support from friends

Reach out to your friends and family to tell them about your feelings and ask for help. With some forms of ambiguous loss, it may be hard for them to realise you are grieving. For example, if there is no funeral in cases when your loved one is still alive but suffering from dementia, the people in your life may not realise you are already grieving their loss.

3.   Get professional help

Along the same vein, you may need professional grief counselling to help you deal with ambiguous loss. Speak to your GP about the options available, or do your own research to find local support or helplines. Ambiguous loss can be even more challenging to cope with than more typical causes of grief as you struggle to find closure and acceptance of the loss.

Visit the Inscripture blog to find a list of who can help you when dealing with a death or other form of loss or find a pet bereavement support service.

4.    Wear an item of memorial jewellery to remember your loved one

Some people like to remember their loved ones daily by wearing an item of memory jewellery. This can help you feel close to your loved one when dealing with ambiguous loss.

5.    Be kind to yourself

Finally, remember to treat yourself with compassion and empathy as you would if your friend were to be going through this loss.

Mourning jewellery offers a way for people to cope with their loss and overcome the mental obstacles that come with grief. Bereavement can be one of the most challenging parts of life, and therefore even small tokens such as pieces of jewellery can be used to help with the grieving process.

Mourning Jewellery has a long history that dates back to the early 19th century. Let’s take a look at how memorial jewellery as we know it today came to be.

A Brief Timeline of How Mourning Jewellery Came To Be

●      The early 1800s: This type of jewellery was just becoming trendy, and this popularity was accelerated by Queen Victoria (remember, this was the pre-Instagram era, so the Queen was the equivalent of a Kardashian). People would incorporate things like hair, jewels, and tortoise shells into their jewellery to remember their lost loved one in a personal piece.

●      The 1840s: As the technology in cameras was improving, photo jewellery started to become more popular. However, due to the costs of photography, this was still reserved for the more wealthy people in society.

●      In the late 1800s: Cremation of bodies wasn’t commonplace until just over 100 years ago. However, with the increase in the number of people choosing to cremate their loved ones, people then started to make ashes into jewellery.

●      The early 1900s: Mourning jewellery evolved to become less dark and bleak than during the Victorian Era.

●      The present day: Memorial jewellery now comes in several varieties, and, at first glance, it may look similar to regular jewellery, but the person wearing it can hold lots of sentimental value.

FAQ

When did morning jewellery become popular?

Mourning Jewellery became trendy during the Victorian Era, which spans from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria became depressed when her husband died in 1861 and then started wearing jewellery items while mourning. Soon other people within the country followed suit.

What is the purpose of mourning jewellery?

People often use mourning jewellery to help with closure as they can use the accessory to symbolise the person they loved so dearly. Most people choose an item of jewellery to hold a piece of the ashes of their loved ones, a picture of them in photo jewellery, or a symbol of that person in handwriting jewellery or fingerprint jewellery. So whenever they look at it, they can remember the loved one they lost.

Modern Day Mourning Jewellery

As time passed, memory jewellery became more of a symbolic piece and evolved into the styles we are more likely to see today. Even though it does not look like the jewellery used in the Victorian Era, it still carries the same purpose and meaning.

Visit the Inscripture website to browse some modern-day mourning jewellery and find something to suit your own style and represent the person or pet you have lost. We have a range of jewellery styles for women and men and other memorial gifts, so there is sure to be something for everyone in our extensive range.

We are so excited to tell you about our experience at the National Funeral Exhibition last month. The show was a great opportunity to meet people in the industry face-to-face and share our passion for what we do. However, we were very aware that attending the event as a small family business, could be difficult and that we could be coming across as naive or unprepared for what was in store!

We were so nervous about it, but we were blown away by how well received our brand was! Our stand was jam-packed full of funeral directors, celebrants and more for the whole weekend, each full of praise and compliments for our brand, morals, and products.

Here’s some of the feedback we received.

“The quality of Hayley’s products is second-to-none. They are beautifully made and provide comfort at such a difficult time.”

“Such incredible innovation”

“Your Trustpilot score is exceptional”

“So nice to see a quality mens range”

“It’s clear to see why you’re the leaders in the industry”

“I’ve bought your products personally & was so excited to find you were here so I could come say hello”

We were truly overwhelmed by the amazing response and came back to the studio hoping to have gained some potential partnerships.

With the truly inspirational people we had met, we were speechless to hear in our follow ups that almost every single funeral home was keen to work with us & offer our products to their clients. We cannot even begin to explain what an incredible feeling this is.

To read our customer reviews truly means the world to our team but to receive the same feedback from funeral professionals was an incredibly proud moment for our founder Hayley, knowing those are the people who work closest with grieving families & can see the comfort our items & service will bring.

We believe that the best way to understand how our products will make a difference is by hearing directly from people who work in the industry. That’s why we were thrilled to get such exceptional feedback from the show.

We have since been invited to join the National Association of Funeral Directors, SAIF (Association of Independent Funeral Directors) and also the Association of Celebrants to raise awareness of our brand & services within the sector. Again, amazing opportunities to really showcase our professionalism & dedication to our niche.

The NAFD in-particular were so impressed by our brand & story they requested us to write an editorial on Memorial Jewellery for their upcoming magazine.

We’ve also been busy writing blog posts and articles for the industry journals, which has brought us some great exposure. We are so proud to be part of this community of professionals who share our core-values & morals.

To be recognised for our hard work, innovation & quality is more than we could have ever wished for & we are truly grateful for every single person who has supported us on our journey so far.

We want to thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, and look forward to continuing to serve you with even better products in the future!

We have already covered what not to say to someone dealing with a loss on the Inscripture blog. However, this post may offer some valuable quotes that you can use to comfort yourself or someone else during a time of grieving. Losing someone close to you is never easy, and you should treat yourself kindly during the bereavement process.

The quotes in this post are focused on how to process grief when you have lost a person you love. However, there are many other causes, including pet loss or anticipatory grief. Familiarising yourself with the symptoms of what grief feels like can help you identify when you or someone around you is experiencing grief so that you can seek support or professional help.

11 Meaningful Quotes To Help With Processing Grief

“You cannot prevent the birds of sorrow from flying over your head, but you can prevent them from building nests in your hair.” – Old Chinese proverb

“Grief is like spilling a bottle of glitter. You initially clean up in one large chunk, but you’ll be finding pieces to pick up for years to come.”  – Anonymous Grief counsellor

“Robins appear when loved ones are near.” – Anonymous

This quote inspired us to create our when robins are near memorial jewellery line.

“Grief is the price we pay for love.” – Queen Elizabeth II

“Given a choice between grief and nothing, I’d choose grief.” – William Faulkner

“Sometimes breaking down the dam and letting the water and tears flow is the only way to repair what you wish to heal.” – Anonymous

“Holding onto grief leaves your hands and heart too full to accept any more love.” – Anonymous

“Tears water our growth.” – William Shakespeare

“What soap is for the body, tears are for the soul.” – Jewish proverb

“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr Seuss

“Healing from grief is like repairing your muscles after the gym, and it allows your heart to grow bigger and stronger. Therefore, allowing you to accept more love in the future.” – Anonymous

How To Cope With Grief

Everyone experiences grief in their own way. Whether you prefer to grieve in private or with your friends and family, it is important to talk about death and find out who can help. No one needs to suffer on their own, and there will be someone who can help you during your times of need as you would support your friends if they needed you to comfort them. You can also arrange to celebrate the memories of a lost loved one in the most appropriate way for the person who is no longer with us.

If you want to show your love for someone grieving, we offer a variety of memory jewellery, including handwriting jewellery, pet memorial jewellery and ashes jewellery. Of course, you don’t need to shower people with gifts in an attempt to mask their grief. However, from the feedback we have received from our customers, personal memorial jewellery can help people feel close to their loved ones and remind them of the good memories they shared.