I was recently asked by a lady if I could make her a piece of memorial jewellery with her mum’s fingerprint.  Her mum had recently passed away and she wanted something that she could wear and feel close to her mum all the time.

Traditional fingerprint jewellery usually has the fingerprint on the front of the charm or pendant.  The back is often left plain or a message is engraved on it.
Memorial fingerprint jewellery can be done the same way and many people do like to display the fingerprint facing forwards on their necklaces, but this particular lady wanted something with the fingerprint on the back.  There were two reasons for this, one was to keep the fingerprint discrete and personal to her, and the other was the very special way she wanted to hold the memorial necklace to feel close to her mum.

“My Mum died 7wks ago and I’m 29. I won’t have her there if I get married or have children… Even if I’m having a tough day! I chose to have it on the back because of the way I hold my pendants when I’m anxious; I put my thumb on the back and wrap my fingers round the front so my thumb will be on the top of her print. It’s as close as I can get to her now. It’s also like it’s just for me; it’s not obvious that the print is there but I will know.” Helen Knight

Helen and I discussed in detail what would go on the front of the pendant, she had seen a piece of silver jewellery that I had made of out a real leaf and really liked the idea of a natural leaf print on the front, her mum is buried in woodlands and her body will provide nutrients for a tree so it was a perfect choice.

When the prints arrived I took them out with me in search of the perfect shape and size leaf to fit the print, in the end I settled on a hydrangea leaf as it had beautiful detail and was just the right shape.
I showed Helen and she was delighted.

Next came the tricky part, turning the leaf to silver and getting the print on the back. I had to use a different technique to how I had made previous silver leaf pendants, but it worked and this is the finished piece of hidden fingerprint jewellery.

“The leaf is because she was buried in a woodland and she will feed a tree.
Gemma was so good, I got the finger printing kit the following day. Even though I couldn’t face sending off the mould for a while, she was kind enough to let me know she had received it so I didn’t worry. Gemma has been fabulous at such a difficult time for me. I had seen another leaf she had done and felt it was the right design to go for. I can’t wait to see it.” Helen Knight

If you would like more information about how to purchase a piece like this please visit this link.
Silver leaf pendant with hidden fingerprint

Check out what people had to say when I showed this pendant on the Lasting Touch Facebook Page

Are you wondering what to do with your loved ones cremation ashes?  Maybe you have looked at those little ‘jewellery’ urns and they aren’t quite your thing. A different option would be to have something made from my ‘ashes into silver’ range.

I have developed a technique that allows me to mix a small amount of cremation ashes into silver itself so that it actually becomes a part of the piece.  Unlike an ‘urn’ where the ashes could be emptied out, my technique embeds the ashes into silver. It is your choice whether you would like the ashes to be hidden or visible.

Because I work with silver clay, it is possible to craft pretty much any design. Texture mats enable me to incorporate beautiful patterns into your design.

You could even have the ashes put into a charm that features your loved ones fingerprint, handprint or handwriting.  I can make the ashes visible in the silver (the lumpy effect), or I can hide them underneath the top layer of the piece so that you still get the smooth, shiny finish and no one needs to know that you have ashes  inside.  Only a tiny amount of ashes is needed, quarter of a teaspoon will be more than enough to create this effect, leaving you with plenty of ashes to scatter or be made into other items.

Buy ashes into silver charms >>>
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If you are interested in having some cremation ashes added to your piece please do get in touch.  gemma@lastingtouch.co.uk

UPDATE:  I now also have a range of ashes in glass jewellery

Or check out this page for more ideas for what to do with ashes.

Options for fingerprint jewellery made from ink and paper prints

Usually my fingerprint jewellery is made from a mould of the finger.  This produces a good replica of the fingerprint in the silver.  However, I am sometimes asked to make jewellery for customers who are only able to provide prints on paper.

In order to make a piece from a paper print, a very different technique is needed.  The method is similar to that used for hand and footprints jewellery and involves the same equipment to reproduce the print in the silver.

The results as you can see below are very different. The 1st photo shows a print made from a mould, this print shows fine detail and the shape of the finger.
The second piece is made using a paper print, as you can see it is flat. The print lines are enhanced and blackened for a very different effect.

Making charms with paper prints is a much more skilled process than the mould method, and a service that not many artists offer.  The prints do need to be clear and as detailed as possible, this method definitely works better with adult prints.

Example Fingerprint  for jewellery

Here is a perfect example of the level of detail required to create a print like the one above.  As you can see it has very clear defined lines.  If your prints are not so clear, I would recommend sending me a picture to look at before you place your order. I am more than happy to let you know if they will be suitable. send them to gemma@lastingtouch.co.uk

This type of jewellery can be made with prints taken using ink or if you want to take new prints I recommend using a pencil and some sticky tape to collect the prints.

If you have prints that you would like to use, you can send a black and white photocopy to me in the post, or scan the prints and email them to me.

Any of my fingerprint jewellery can be made using this way.  There is a small additional charge for the stamp to be made.   Popular items made using this method are the fingerprint charm bead (fits pandora) and the large heart charm.

Get more information and order online: Ink Fingerprint necklace

Do feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.