OUR JOURNEY
Forever In Gemstones is a business built from the heart. In today’s world it is more important than ever to keep those we love close to us. Having something to hold on to that connects you to a person you love and cherish can bring feelings of comfort. Forever In Gemstones came from the passion of wanting to keep loved ones bonded together through jewelry.
Throughout my entire life, it has been family who helped shape and mold me. Good morals and values were instilled in me from the very beginning of my life. To listen when spoken too. Respect my elders. Appreciate life and all it has to offer. Be kind and gentle to animals. Have a close relationship with God.
My Grandma and I were always very close. Growing up she would take me everywhere with her. She always introduced me as her namesake, which made me feel important and special. She was there to teach me about the love and importance of family. My Mom always referred to my Grandma as the, “family rock”. Sunday’s were always spent with my Grandma and Grandpa at church where my spirituality was formed and where my Grandma taught me to treat everyone as equals and that only God should judge. During the church service every Sunday I would lay across my Grandma’s lap and as she stroked my hair I would fall fast asleep. She was the person who went with me on my first roller coaster ride. It had no loops or fancy turns, but I still screamed at the top of my lungs the entire ride while my Grandma tried to convince me to let go and put my hands in the air. Many summer nights were spent with my Grandma and Grandpa at their trailer. She always convinced Grandpa to roast marshmallows before bed every night. She never got upset with me. Not once.
Fortunate for me, my Grandpa and Mom were entrepreneurs. Watching my Mom grow her own business inspired me to want my own someday. I would wait patiently while she spoke to customers or filled out their orders. I saw first hand the relationships she grew with everyone who contributed to helping her with her business from the area sales reps, the district leaders all the way through to the courier company. Owning a business requires a vast amount of skills. Everything my family taught me, that I learned from going to school and then college, from employment and numerous social circles brought me to a point in my life where preparation and determination were about to open up a new business for me. It just didn’t happen the way I could have ever imagined it would.
It was shortly before Christmas when my Grandma became extremely ill. She had fallen and broke her hip two years before. During surgery to replace her hip, the doctor discovered that she had cancer. She fought with all her strength. She made numerous trips to the Cancer Clinic where she had chemotherapy treatments in hopes of prolonging her life. As my Grandma became increasingly unwell, I held on to an idea of creating something that would keep us close together. That’s where my idea of using a lock of hair to make keepsakes for myself, my Grandma, my Mom and daughter started.
Something inside of me drove me to creating something I had never seen done before. Throughout my years of growing up and even into my adult years, my Grandma and my Mom always gifted me with things that came from their hearts. Jewelry was always something they would give me on special occasions. A necklace, bracelet or ring that held meaning of some kind. As my idea started to take shape, I knew it was going to involve jewelry.
Looking on the internet and researching jewelry with the idea I had in mind proved to be disappointing. Locks of hair had been used over the ages in jewelry, but not in a way that I had envisioned. So my desire took me in a different direction. Once I was able to collect a lock of hair from each of the four generations, my idea was about to be tested. It failed. So did my next idea and idea after that. Then, after coming up with one final idea, the locks of hair were broken down into powder form. My last and final idea had worked.
Days grew close to Christmas and time was slipping through my fingers. When at last, everything came together perfectly. On Christmas Day I presented my daughter, Mom and Grandmother with their gifts. As they each opened their tiny boxes, I began to explain what was inside of them. Each of us had a locket on a chain. Opening up the lockets did not reveal a photograph like the lockets had been made for. Inside the lockets were stones. Once the hair was broken down, I then used a substance to mix the hair in to form it into a shape that fit inside each locket. One of my Grandma’s favourite colours was purple, so I added some purple tint to the mixture. They turned out beautifully.
My Grandma held onto her locket that Christmas and into the New Year. She passed away shortly after. Her request was to be cremated. As she was being laid to rest, I set her locket in beside her. Knowing we all have our lockets makes me feel like we still have a strong connection with each other. It gives me some peace. I miss my Grandma everyday. Thinking about her and my family makes me want to continue developing my business to help others remain close.