You may find this unusual, but I put my dog inside a necklace.

You’ve probably heard of memorial jewelry. For those who haven’t, it’s a style of jewelry that includes a small compartment where you can place a pet’s ashes or fur, similar to the concept of a locket. It’s an appealing option, as it allows you to carry a part of them with you wherever you go, unlike an urn, which is more or less confined to the home.

So today, I’m going to break down exactly how I made mine and why it means so much to me.

Creating My Custom Pet Memorial Necklace 

The Concept

For the design, I knew I wanted something personal and subtle. A lot of memorial jewelry online feels a bit kitsch or too literal for my taste—like small urns, paw prints, or charms with grief scriptures on them. That’s perfectly fine if it’s what you want, but I wanted something only I would recognize—so I made a little kiwi slice! Since I plan to wear this every day, I wanted it to feel refined and discreet—something that looks like a beautiful piece of jewelry first.

If you’re planning to design a commemorative piece of jewelry, here are a few questions to ask yourself beforehand:

• How often and where do I plan to wear this? -If you want a piece you never plan to take off, I recommend using gold, since it never oxidizes. Another tip would be using durable gemstones to keep up with constant wear. For example opals are on the softer side, so stones like sapphires or diamonds could be better for everyday wear and tear. 

• Why am I making this piece?- I made this piece around a feeling, the desire to always have Kiwi close to me, and for its meaning to be kept private. Color, engravings, size, and gemstone can all influence whether the piece is eye-catching or kept small and subdued for a more personal connection. Take a moment to consider how you want this piece to make you feel.   

• What makes this meaningful to me?- For myself, I designed my piece around his name, creating a cute charm representative of him. This is where I would think of any cute stories or meaning that can be transformed into symbolism. 

Answering these questions will help you plan the best style of jewelry, gemstone, and metal, based on how frequently you’ll wear it and how to best care for it in the future.

Shop cremation jewelry for pets made with ashes or fur.

Making the Pendant & How We Stored The Fur

I chose to design the compartment—where we would place Kiwi's fur—in the center of the back of the pendant. This way, it lays on my chest and stays closest to my heart.

You may be wondering how this works on a technical level. Once the fur is placed into the compartment, it’s soldered shut. This ensures that no elements can enter and damage the organic material. So it is entirely waterproof and I never have to take it off, even in the shower!

 

 

Customizing My Cremation Necklace

I chose to engrave Kiwi's name on the back, but there are all sorts of options. I always say that as long as there's space, you can engrave it! From letters, numbers, and symbols to fingerprints—almost anything can be done.

Another option is using a beautiful grief quote. I've written a few here for inspiration:

"When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure."
— Unknown

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
— A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh*

"Grief is the price we pay for love."
— Queen Elizabeth II

Choosing My Materials

All my jewelry is yellow gold set with green gemstones—I just love the way it looks. For this piece, I used differently colored tsavorite garnets. Since I plan to wear it every day, I made a conscious choice to keep it cohesive with the rest of the jewelry I wear.

For the stones, we used two different color gradients, because—as with most gemstones—you can find a variety of saturations and hues. I love the way the range of color looks, similar to that of a real kiwi, going from pale to more saturated greens.

I also made tiny little black seeds that are black rhodium plated. To help the rhodium plating adhere better, I designed the seeds with a concave surface. This protects the plating, as opposed to having it flush against a surface that could wear off over time.

Another way to personalize your piece is to use birthstones. Kiwi is born in July, which has the birthstone of Ruby. So for this specific design I did not want a red gemstone, if not it may have ended up looking like a pomegranate! 

Final Product

So this is the final piece, I feel it looks very feminine. I’m very pleased with it.

For me, this is more than jewelry.
It’s a way of holding onto a bond — not because I’ve lost it, but because I cherish it.
If you’ve ever loved a pet like family, I think you’ll understand.

To create your own custom-designed pet cremation jewelry, you can reach me through my contact page or email me directly at info@fineandflux.com — I'd love to hear from you. 
Shop cremation jewelry for pets made with ashes or fur.

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