Woman says store she paid $278 to make jewellery from her late father’s ashes went MIA

SINGAPORE: After her father died last September, a woman commissioned a shop that makes memorial jewellery, paying $278 for three pieces made from a portion of her father’s ashes.

She was told the work would take four to 14 weeks, but when she tried to follow up, she could no longer contact the company.

Ms Guo, a 29-year-old shipping executive, told Shin Min Daily News that, at this point, the only thing important to her is to get back her father’s ashes.

While the shop no longer appears to be online, its Facebook page, Keepsake by Ryo – Breastmilk Jewellery & Ashes Jewellery Made in Singapore, is still up, as are its Instagram and TikTok accounts. A few years ago, the business, founded in 2015, was  featured in a video clip by Youthopia SG.

Ms Guo had reached out to Keepsake by Ryo via its IG page and placed the order on Oct 1. Two of the pieces she commissioned were for her mother, and one was for herself. The women wanted the pieces as these would symbolize that Ms Guo’s father would always be near them, she told the Chinese-language daily.

By mid-December, Ms Guo found out from the company that its founder needed hospitalization. She was also told that updates on orders would only be given after the founder was discharged.

Posts on Facebook and Instagram appear to bear this out. A post on Dec 26 talked about a “near-death experience” earlier that month, though it added that the post author had already been discharged after some weeks. It noted, however, that the company’s proprietor was still on extended hospitalization leave and that Keepsake by Ryo had paused taking new orders.

“Please, we seek your kind understanding that order fulfilment will be delayed as we put in our best effort to get things running,” the proprietor wrote.

Ms Guo told Shin Min Daily News, however, that she has yet to hear from the company since then.

“I sent a message saying that I understood the progress might be slow, but I wanted to know the status of my father’s ashes. I even said that it didn’t matter if the items couldn’t be completed, but I received no reply.”

While she no longer wishes to receive a refund, she understandably would like to have her father’s ashes back, calling them “incredibly precious” to her family.

The Independent Singapore has reached out to Keepsake by Ryo for further comments or updates. /TISG

Read also: From grief to grace: Exploring the cultural significance of memorial jewellery