In April, we received a touching message and a set of photos from Matilda, who had recently lost her father. Despite the suddenness of her loss, Matilda was able to take some impressions of her father's fingers, and we used those to create a beautiful piece of jewellery for her. The pendant we made features her father's handwriting engraved on the back, serving as a reminder of his love and presence in her life.
Whose fingerprints are on your piece and why is it special to you?
The fingerprint on my necklace is my Dad's. Suddenly losing my Dad at the age of 23 isn’t something that you’d ever expect and having the ability to have him close-by everyday means so much to me. It’s a piece tbhat I can have forever and wear everyday, knowing he is so proud of everything I do and achieve. I am the person I am today because of my Dad and I will forever live by his morals and values. I chose the solid gold option as I want it to last and not tarnish.
Can you tell us a bit more about your dad?
My Dad was a beautiful father, friend and soul mate to many people. He was not only my Dad but also a father figure to my friends as well. He lived on a farm in country Victoria working with black Angus cattle. He took lots of pride and joy in his life and enjoyed life in the most simple ways and was happy with the smallest things in life. My Dad was a very kind human being and he always had loving arms which opened up to anyone. He loved seeing those around him happy and always wanted to help people who were worse off.
What is your favourite memory with your dad?
My favourite memory with my Dad was growing up on a cattle farm, enjoying the simple things that he loved doing. Dad taught me many life lessons and we had a lot of fun as a family, including long bush-walks in the state forest. Dad would also remind me from a very young age that everyday was like Christmas and to be grateful and content with everyday.
Can you tell us a little bit about how you came to make the impressions?
After my Dads sudden passing, a friend of mine mentioned Linden Cook and said the company did impressions with fingerprints and laser print writing. I went to see my Dad at the funeral home, where I was able to spend my last moments with him. I moulded the fingerprint myself which makes my necklace even more sentimental. I know this process wouldn’t be easy for everyone but having a background in nursing made me feel more at ease and I would highly recommend for everyone to have the opportunity to do so - as it makes the piece even more special. I also decided to get a laser impression of my Dads handwriting on the other side of the necklace from my card when I turned 21. Linden Cook did an amazing job, I couldn’t have asked for a better necklace to remember my Dad and to have him around my neck everyday.