Make memorial jewelry with ashes of a deceased animal

Easily make your own memorial jewelry in the form of a necklace, ring or object with the ashes of your dog, cat, horse or other pet. A special memory and memento, which you can always carry with you or put down nicely.

Farewell and loss, we all experience this less pleasant side of life. Whether it is a loved one, a family member or a pet. Saying goodbye is hard. You can find comfort in jewelry and objects to remember your lost loved ones.
In this blog I want to take you through the process of making such an object or piece of jewelry yourself. My name is Maaike Munneke-Merks and my company is called ' As in hars '. I make many beautiful, unique and personal memories: from jewelry to objects with ashes in epoxy resin.

With epoxy and a silicone mold you can incorporate hair, photos, baby teeth, (finger/paw)prints or other memories in or on your jewelry. It is important to use good epoxy resin for this. I use the UltraEpoxy epoxy resin from ItsOkay. This is their newest epoxy resin and has considerably less bubbles and a super clear result. The result with this is very beautiful.

Supplies:

• Silicone mold Dog Paws and Bones or e.g. Silicone mold heart
• I use: Silicone mold for stones/cabochons and Silicone mold heart
• UltraEpoxy Premium
• UV blocker
• if applicable: 1x Gold flakes (12 jars) decoration of your choice.
• toothpick, gloves , clothing that can get dirty, lighter/heat tool, plastic container and a  scales .
• Black pigment powder

Step 1: Preparation

First I put all the supplies ready on my work surface. I use the Epoxy resin UV (UltraEpoxy Premium) because it gives the least air bubbles and a very clear result. Because I am going to process a paw print in a heart, I choose a smaller mold with a paw print, for which this is very suitable. It is a beautiful small subtle paw, which I can nicely process in the larger heart mold.

Step 2: Making the ash leg

We start by making the small paw print from the ashes. For this you need the mold with the paws and the bone. I mix some epoxy resin, you don't need that much, because in principle only a small drop of epoxy resin goes through the ashes, since it is a nice little paw. After I have mixed the epoxy resin for at least 3 minutes, I let it rest for a while, so that all the bubbles can come out. These will float to the top by themselves and then pop. If they don't all pop, you can always go over them very quickly with a heat tool. When I have let this stand for about 15 minutes, I mix the epoxy resin with the ashes. Even after stirring the ashes with epoxy resin, bubbles can still come out. I then let this rest for a while so that the bubbles can come out. After I have let it rest, I carefully put the ashes in the mold. I fill the mold piece by piece and make sure that not too much air gets in. I let the work harden for a day before I can remove it from the mold to process it into the larger heart. So it is important that it is hardened well.

Step 3: Incorporate the ash leg into the first layer

When the ash leg has hardened properly, I can process it in a first transparent layer of epoxy resin. I leave this transparent, so that the ash leg is clearly visible and this also gives a nice 3D effect. Here too, I mix some epoxy resin again and let it rest well, so that all the bubbles are gone. I let these rest for about half an hour. Then I dip the ash leg through the epoxy resin, before I place it in the mold. This way I prevent air bubbles from getting under the leg, when I pour the transparent layer of epoxy resin. Then I place the ash leg slightly diagonally in the larger mold and I also place the mold on a diagonal side. This way the transparent layer stays nicely in the corner, because that is what I want. You can tilt the mold as far as you want. In this case I have placed a small silicone container underneath, which keeps the mold diagonally, until the epoxy resin has hardened. Then I pour the transparent epoxy resin over it until it is completely submerged. I also let this transparent layer harden for at least 24 hours before pouring the next layer.

Step 4: The gold flake layer

The transparent layer has now hardened for 24 hours, and I can now
continue with the layer with the gold flakes. I think this is a nice combination with black, which I want to pour as the last layer. You can of course see for yourself what you like best. Again after mixing I let this rest for a while to let the bubbles come out and I use the gold flakes from 1 jar. I mix this with the epoxy resin and let this rest again. After about half an hour I pour this layer in and I let that dry for 24 hours. I hold the mold at an angle again, so that the entire heart is not filled.

Step 5: The black layer (last layer)

After the layer of flakes has hardened (24 hours), I pour the last layer;
I make this black. For this I use black pigment powder, because
that gives a bit of a metallic effect. With this layer I can make the heart
just leave it flat as this will fill out the rest of the heart. After
mix, I also let this stand for half an hour, to get the bubbles out
to get. Any bubbles that still come up, I carefully remove
away with a lighter. Be very careful, you don't want to damage your work or the mold.

Step 6: De-moulding

After the heart has hardened (at least 24 hours), I can finally demold it! The effect of the gold flakes with black is very successful and the leg of ash is beautifully visible in the heart. And so you have a beautiful, precious memory that you can always keep and display.

Tips for making memorial jewelry:

• Make sure you use good protective equipment such as gloves etc. Also for small projects. Make sure your space is well ventilated and that the space is at room temperature.
• If you are going to cast transparent epoxy resin (without color) you can also use a UV blocker use, so that it remains clear and transparent for a long time. Over time, epoxy will discolour, so adding UV blocker is recommended.
• Please note that ash is heavy and therefore sinks. Please note this if you want to process ash in a certain way.
• If you mix the ash with epoxy resin, many bubbles are still released. If you pour this too quickly, you will get many air bubbles in your work, which makes it extra vulnerable (and also less beautiful).
• Be careful not to 'burn' your molds with a blowtorch. Too much heat can damage your mold and therefore your work.

More information?

Do you have questions about making art, jewelry or casting/coating floors or other objects? At itsOkay, several epoxy experts work with each their own expertise. We are happy to help you.
Please contact itsOkay customer service or take a look at the Epoxy knowledge center .

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