Merry Coor produces ethereal designs from cremated remains within custom glass beads. Coor crafts each bead by hand, first melting glass into a round bead, then spiraling the design out of ashes on top, and finally sealing the design with an outer layer of clear glass. For each bead she not only requests a 1/2 teaspoon of ashes, but also a picture, letter, or story of the deceased so she can develop a personal connection while forming the piece of jewelry.
Coor has been making glass beads for about 15 years, but it wasn’t until last year that she began incorporating ashes into their designs. After this development Coor explained, “My bead making now gave me a new purpose, and a way to honor others, both living and passed.”
Custom beads can be requested by the California-based artist either through her company’s website,
Ash Beads, or through her
Etsy. (via
Laughing Squid,
Bored Panda).
