By Ruth Dowds
THE sudden passing of her beloved dog was the moving inspiration behind a pet memorial jewellery service offered by Killinchy-based silversmith, Avril Manderson.
Avril was devastated when her rescue dog Monty, a Harrier Hound, died suddenly during a family walk on Tyrella beach, near Newcastle, five years ago.
The depth of her grief led her to wonder how other people processed similar losses and how she might keep Monty’s name alive.
Said Avril, “Up to that point, my jewellery was mostly of farm animals – sheep, cows, a few goats and things, and I’d done a few commissions.
“As someone who’d lost a dog, I thought, what might help me? I was even searching for wee memorial gifts, and then I thought to myself, of course, you could make it in silver, and that’s when I started the custom jewellery service.”
Through her website Avril now receives jewellery commissions from around the world, mostly, she says from midlife women who are shocked at how bereft they feel when their pet dies.
“People find it so helpful,” said Avril. “I get great satisfaction out of that and from the stories I hear from the women I talk to.
“People say that they just like to touch their necklace and it makes them feel close to their pet dog. I had a lady who lives in Cornwall who had two dogs stolen over lockdown.
“One of her friends stepped in and commissioned a piece of jewellery for her, and she just loved that piece of jewellery, and she said to me it makes her feel close to her dogs.
“It’s also a real talking point too when she’s out and about, and she can tell people the story of her two dogs, and it’s something tangible to remember them by.”
Ironically, Avril has not been able to bring herself to make a Monty necklace. “I still can’t do it, his death just broke my heart,” she explained. “He was only two and he’d come from a hunting kennels where he’d been bullied. He had a big scar on his face and I think I bonded with him so closely because he was so petrified of men, and I felt so sorry for him.
“We had him for three months when we took him to Tyrella beach just before Christmas and he came racing over from the sand dunes and lay down at my feet.
“I couldn’t believe what had happened, it was so traumatising. It was like time had stopped and it still makes me tear up thinking about him and how he just died.”
While most of Avril’s commissions are for necklaces other women prefer a brooch or a charm bearing their dog’s resemblance.
Said Avril: “I’m currently working on a little dog which is so cute wearing a bow tie. It’s a bit tricky making the bow tie but he’s called Peanut and he’s going to America when he’s finished. “Then I’ve got two schnoodles, which are schnauzers mixed with poodles. That’s for a yoga instructor in Canada and I’m making her a special necklace because she wants to be able to wear it all the time and tuck it down her top when she’s teaching, so I have to make a special necklace for her that doesn’t have a catch.”
Avril first began working as a silversmith after starting night classes to unwind from her day job as a political press officer for the then MEP for North West England, Chris Davies.
By 2011 silversmithing had become her full-time career and the full range of Avril’s work, produced from her studio in Killinchy, can be viewed on her website at freshfleeces.com
