Jewellery
as continuation.
A Sacred Mourning specialises in bespoke mourning and memorial jewellery, created by Brent Dakis in Sassafras, in Victoria’s Dandenong Ranges.
When you commission a piece, you work directly with me, bringing your own memories, relationship, and way of carrying loss to the conversation. My experience of bereavement informs the care I bring to that process, while the meaning and direction of each piece come from you and the person or animal you are honouring.
Mourning jewellery offers a way to carry memory on the body, as continuation, presence, and personal meaning made tangible. Together, we consider how that connection might take form through material, symbolism, inscription, or something personal held within the piece.
Some commissions begin from existing designs, such as memorial signets, reliquary pendants, mourning rings, earrings, or keepsake pieces, then become personal through engraving, gemstones, iconography, ashes, hair-work, fur, fabric, handwritten fragments, or other meaningful inclusions. Others are created entirely from the ground up, shaped around a specific story, spiritual practice, cultural reference, or personal way of holding grief.
These works are made to be lived with, worn often, touched, noticed, returned to, and allowed to become part of the rhythm of daily life. They may be subtle or ornate, traditional or contemporary, religious, spiritual, symbolic, or deeply personal without needing to fit any established language at all.
The intention is not to create something that explains loss, but something that gives it a place to rest, allowing love, grief, and memory to be carried in a form that feels true to the person being honoured, and to the person who remains.
Commission process
Beginning with Conversation
Every commission begins with a conversation, where we take time to understand the story, the person or animal being honoured, and what is being carried. This is not about defining the object immediately, but about listening, reflecting, and allowing meaning to gather before form is decided.
Shaping the Piece
From there, we begin to shape the work, whether by adapting an existing design or creating something entirely bespoke. Metal, stone, surface, symbol, inscription, and inclusion are all considered together, so the piece feels grounded in your experience rather than imposed from outside it.
Making with Intention
Each piece is made slowly and individually, with the process itself treated as part of the meaning. Engraving, gemstones, sacred references, ashes, hairwork, fur, fabric, handwritten fragments, or other personal artefacts can be incorporated where appropriate, allowing the work to hold something more than material alone.
Carrying Forward
Once complete, the piece is not simply finished, but begins its role as something to be worn, held, and returned to. It becomes part of the everyday, offering a point of connection and continuity that can change with you over time.
Begin a Commission
If you would like to create something in memory, you are welcome to begin with an enquiry.
You do not need to know exactly what the final piece should be; often the first step is simply a conversation about the person, the material, and what you hope the object may hold.