Memorial Jewellery: Lock of Hair & Keepsakes

One small lock. A heart pendant holds a few strands coiled under the setting, so a small lock is more than enough. Anything we don't use is returned to you with the finished piece.

Put it in a ziplock bag or a small airtight container, write your order number on it, and post it to Serpent & the Swan, Studio 14, 43-53 Bridge Road, Stanmore NSW 2048. Use tracked post. We make the piece once it arrives.

Clean it, soak it in household bleach, then let it dry for 24 hours before you post it. That's all — we do the rest in the studio.

The hair is coiled into the piece and sealed by hand in our studio. The piece doesn't open. You can leave the setting clear so the hair shows, or choose a colour of enamel to sit behind it.

Wear it every day, wash your hands in it, get caught in the rain. Take it off for the pool, the ocean and the shower. Chlorine, salt water and hot soapy water dull silver and gold and are hard on any sealed setting.

Hair pendants and rings are finished two to four weeks after the hair reaches the studio. Tooth pieces take two to three weeks. Every piece is made to order, so we don't hold stock.

Yes. The same hearts, signets and star pendants hold cremation ashes. Those pieces are on our cremation and ashes jewellery page. For a pet, see pet memorial jewellery.

Both are solid metal all the way through, never plated, so both can be polished and repaired for life. Silver tarnishes slowly with wear and polishes back. Gold does not tarnish. Gold comes in yellow, rose or white.

Yes. The metal is solid, so it can be cut and rejoined. Send the ring back to us rather than to a local jeweller, so the sealed setting is handled by the person who made it.

A memorial piece is made for one person and cannot be resold, so please decide before we start. If you want to change the piece, the metal or the size, email info@serpentandtheswan.com before you post anything to us and we'll sort it out.