The company handcrafts keepsake jewellery like rings, ear-rings, bracelets and necklaces, that contain the ashes, fur, hair, or fabric threads from a beloved person or pet, helping customers memorialise them forever.
“Letting go can be very difficult. But holding a part of someone we have loved, and keeping it close, can help us feel like we aren’t truly apart. And that’s what we hope to achieve with our keepsake jewellery,” Apart.my co-founder Adrien Kent told FMT Lifestyle.
Customers can make an order through the company website, then either visit Kent’s workshop in Bangsar or send him the items they wish to be preserved. Kent prefers the former option as it allows for more personalised service, and more accurate customer measurements.
“If it’s ashes, we don’t really need much, usually just about a third of a teaspoon. I recommend you bring it in, we know how sentimental these items can be, and we don’t want them lost in the mail or anything like that,” Kent explained.
Once the materials are sent in, Kent gets to work on his lathe, with a piece usually taking about four to six weeks to create.
A variety of materials are also available for all tastes and budgets: these include black ceramic, tungsten, silver sterling and even 18 carat rose gold. Prices range from RM600-700 to about RM4,000.
“Our bestselling products so far are the black ceramic rings. I don’t know why they’re the most popular, maybe they look the most sleek and modern. In Singapore, they love rose gold,” Kent said with a laugh.
Kent became involved in keepsake jewellery after meeting Apart.sg founder Andrew Lim on local reality show ‘The Apartment’ in 2019. Kent also ended up winning that show, but that’s a different story.
Kent said Lim had come home after an outing with friends one night, when he received news that his father had suffered a medical emergency.
Thankfully, his father survived. The incident, however, served as a wake-up call for Lim: a stark reminder that everyone would leave this world someday.
Wishing to find a way to keep his loved ones close to him, Lim found himself fascinated by keepsake jewellery. However, he didn’t like most of the products he found: many were designed specifically for women or looked too commercialised.
Realising there was a gap in the market to be filled, Lim created Apart.sg in Sept 2022.
Lim’s story resonated with Kent, and he joined the company as the leader of its Malaysian arm, Apart.my, which was formed in April this year.
One of the biggest hallmarks of Apart.my’s services, Kent said, was that their company thoroughly documented every step of their process.
“We keep you updated on what’s going on. Like on WhatsApp, I’ll show you: ‘the fur has been received. The fur has now been turned into dust. The fur is now being put into the ring’. So with every step, you know I’m handling this properly,” Kent said.
“We want to keep things transparent, and honest, and ensure you’re getting the best product.”
While Apart.my is currently based only in the Klang Valley, there are plans to have a presence in Penang as well.
He said he hopes that Apart.my’s services would encourage more open discussions about death and mortality, which some people still very much regard as taboo.
“I’ve seen some other companies that make keepsake jewellery. They make tiny capsules or pendants which store your keepsakes precariously. They also don’t document their process. But with Apart.my, we offer something more elegant and respectful,” Kent concluded.
“We help you make sure you’re memorialising your loved ones in the right way. Our designs are made to be timeless and minimalistic, and look great with whatever outfit you’re wearing.”
Visit Apart.my at their website.