Our Materials
Welcome to our materials page. Here you will find detailed information on the materials we use and why we use them. Here at Forever Together our focus is to use the very best materials whilst keeping prices some of the lowest in the industry. Affordable memorial jewellery should be available to all without compromising on quality.
Our Polymer
When we were researching the best materials to use before opening Forever Together we tried a lot of different materials. The clear winner was the resin polymer we now use and we will outline some of the reasons why.
A lot of companies were using glass which is both beautiful and long lasting. However glass can smash or crack and due to the equipment needed it both increased price and extended making time. One of the reason we opened the company was because when we lost those close to us we couldn't find quality reasonably priced jewellery. We knew we wanted to fill that gap and we knew if we used glass we wouldn't be able to keep our prices low so we carried on searching.
After lots of trial and error we found a compound that was both strong, crystal clear and long lasting. Most of all, the safety equipment we needed could still allow us to keep prices how we wanted them to be all along. We settled on an epoxy polymer.
Epoxy polymer is a material which is completely liquid until a chemical reaction happens over the course of a few hours which renders it completely rock solid. It is extremely strong, highly resistant to cracking, environmental degradation and moisture.
Our epoxy has been treated to have high levels of UV Resistance so you can be rest assured the jewellery we make you will stand the test of time.
Our Colours and Sparkle
We tried many different colour materials but the flat colours of the synthetic dyes just didn't do the jewellery justice. It took a few months before we found our winner. A finely milled natural mica to give a unique depth and dimension to the jewellery.
We only use the best in the industry for our colours. Our mica is:
- 100% Pure Colour - no fillers
- 100% Cruelty Free
- 100% Ethically sourced from mines that do not exploit child workers
- 100% Vegan (no carmine in any of our colours)
- 100% Natural - no synthetic mica
The little things really do matter which is why we pay so much attention to every detail of your pieces.
We have the option of adding a little bit of sparkle to your jewellery. This is completely optional and does not take away any focus from the colour or the ashes. The sparkle is a vegan and cruelty free iridescent sparkle dust. It is set in the very final layer of your jewellery to add a little sparkle to the final piece. This is not the cheap 'kids craft' glitter that most of us are accustomed to seeing. The particles are as fine as dust and have an iridescent reflection to them. It is very hard to capture on camera so please see some of our videos to see the subtle sparkle in action.
Metal Materials
We use three main materials in our jewellery. They are 925 Sterling Silver, 9 Carat Gold and 316l Hypoallergenic Stainless Steel.
Most of the jewellery we sell is 925 Sterling Silver, we have found this is the material our customers want. We also sell a few of our Sterling Silver products in 9 Carat Gold. 18 Carat Gold and Platinum is also available - please contact us direct for a quote.
Sterling Silver although one of the most popular materials for jewellery today will tarnish over time if not cleaned, this is called oxidation. This can also happen to gold. However this is not permanent. This is why we include a free polishing cloth with every Sterling Silver or Gold piece of jewellery. This will keep your Jewellery looking shiny and new.
Another material we use is 316l Hypoallergenic Stainless Steel. This is used for one of our mens cufflink design and for our circular glass floating lockets. We use this material for our lockets due to the many moving parts of the lockets, as Sterling Silver is such a soft material we choose to make these from the stainless steel. It will not rust or tarnish and all our lockets are interchangeable, this means you can purchase additional charms of varying colours and sizes to house inside your lockets.
By using all three materials we ensure we can cover all price points and still offer a range of jewellery to suit all styles and preferences. If you'd like something that we do not sell always ask, we are designing new products constantly and you never know, we might be able to make you what you had in mind.
Packaging
As with everything else we do, a lot of thought also goes into our packaging. We use recycled materials for our jewellery and postal boxes. All dyes are non toxic (and where possible vegan) for the printing and dying.
We know the importance of having a luxury box, especially the jewellery we make. We however make sure that all the cardboard and paper comes from a recycled source and can be recycled again*. We are always on the lookout for more sustainable ways to conduct our business even better and are continually improving on our suppliers and materials.
*the foam inserts inside the jewellery boxes are none recyclable