I recently had an interview with the fantastic Matthew Olian, founder and principal artist of GratefulGlass.com, a glass remembrance / memorial jewelry line. His work is so beautiful and very unique in nature.
“Grateful Glass handcrafts timeless personal tributes to memorialize and celebrate the life of loved ones. We take a small amount of cremation ashes and permanently suspend them within layers of optically pure glass. Because each memorial keepsake is unique, no two pieces will ever be alike.”
How did you get into glass?
I fell in love with hot glass nearly 15 years ago at the age of 16. My interest in hot glass stemmed from my curiosity in minerals and gemstones. My grandmother was a bit of a rock hound and used to always give me different stones and mineral specimens. With each one, I would always be mesmerized. Opals were my favorite! The idea of manipulating gemstone properties had always intrigued me, such as combinations of transparency and opacity, and also refraction of light felt very natural. The first time I melted hot glass in the flame I was instantly hooked! It was one of those things that I knew I always wanted to do, be it for business or pleasure.
How did Grateful Glass begin?
Long story short, after being burnt out from years of retail art fairs I began to look for that next “something different”. I wanted to find a niche market that wasn’t saturated with competitors where I could put my artistic skills to use. To be honest, the idea just fell into my lap. I was approached by a client at one of my art shows about having a memorial piece commissioned with her mother’s ashes encased within the piece. Never having worked with cremation ashes, I cautiously took on the order.
Upon delivering the finished piece, so much emotion and heartfelt satisfaction was shared between the customer and myself. More so than I had ever experienced from any other artwork that I had previously created. It dawned on me that I had stumbled upon a very unique and special concept. That was the beginning of Grateful Glass.
What do you love most about your business?
Easy, seeing that my pieces are much more than just aesthetically pleasing, but that they actually offer lasting comfort and peace to the owner. It is an indescribable feeling and I feel truly blessed that I am able to offer my skills in such a manner.
What makes Grateful Glass different that other memorial keepsakes?
The majority of memorial keepsakes currently are a mass produced product. I believe people are interested in memorials that are unique and handcrafted by caring individuals. I take creating memorial artwork extremely seriously and treat every order as if it was my own family. My experience in the fine craft world has allowed me to create keepsakes that are both well crafted and well designed. Without a doubt Grateful Glass keepsakes are unique as the individual whom they are honoring.
For more information about the beautiful memorial jewelry Matthew creates, visit GratefulGlass.com
I’ll always remember to use Grateful Glass for any personal memorials I want to create for family, friends, or pets. His talent and craft are top notch.
