Published 02:14, November the 9th, 2009
Japan trend spotter: Wear your dead pet
With its string of pastel pink beads and sparkly diamante clasp, the necklace would not look out of place in any Tokyo fashion store.
However, this is no ordinary jewellery: Mixed inside the small clay beads are the cremated remains of deceased pets.
A new company has been launched in Japan specializing in allowing bereaved owners of deceased pets to immortalize their ashes in the form of necklaces, bracelets, picture frames and even lamps.
The innovative new service perfectly reflects the nation’s growing obsession with all things pet-related: As Japan’s birth rate continues to dwindle, the nation is instead increasingly bestowing its love, affection and finances on the growing pet population.
From dog yoga to cat cafes, there are few human activities that have not been extended to include domestic animals in Japan’s pet-loving society.
Wear your pet!
The new company — called L-Born — was set up this autumn by Akemi Imai.
“It was my friend who gave me the idea of mixing pets’ ashes with jewelry after her dog died,” Imai says.
“I come from a family of potters. People love their pets and so I decided to design a range of jewelry which could contain their remains after they die.”
“The idea is that the customer hands over the pet’s cremated ashes and the potters then mix the ashes into the clay.”