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Jacqui Williams, 29, is the owner of Grave Metallum Jewellery in Melbourne, Australia. She makes and sells handmade jewelry containing the remains of the dead. Ms. Williams admitted that she was sick and worked as a gardener in a local cemetery before making jewelry of human remains full-time.
She said: "I integrate my teeth into anything that can be made of metal as requested by the client.
"I did this job because I wanted to help people deal with their grief and loss, because this is something that is guaranteed for every creature.
"The most memorable request I was asked was to use an IUD in a piece of jewellery. Because it is plastic, I did reject it and changed the shell of the bullet from the customer’s grandfather’s bullet into A piece of jewelry."
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Each custom piece takes Jacqui six to eight weeks to produce and costs between 190 pounds (350 Australian dollars) and more than 5,400 pounds (10,000 Australian dollars).
Ms. Williams added: "I always seem to be attracted to the pathological side of life, even as a child.
“When I lost my best friend a few years ago, I started to help others deal with their grief. Grief is always easier to deal with.”
The client will send Ms. Williams' teeth from relatives, such as extracted wisdom teeth or children's deciduous teeth.
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But she said that the teeth she received had been removed from the deceased, because teeth with gold or metal covers were almost always removed from the body before burial or cremation.
Jewelry is designed according to customer requirements and can be incorporated into metals such as silver, gold and platinum, or precious gems such as sapphires and diamonds.
Ms. Williams added: "I deal with the ashes and hair of the dead, including dead pets.
"I use lost wax casting, so sometimes this work will be carved with wax and cast into precious metals, and sometimes I will use precious metal sheets, wires and inventory gauges to make the whole work by hand.
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"I am currently making a 925 sterling silver and brass framed hourglass. The'sand' is the ashes of my client's grandfather.
"My most expensive is an 18-carat rose gold wedding ring with her husband's teeth set in a circle of sapphires and garnets. It was AU$7,500 (£4,050)."
She said that her family and friends supported her career. It is not surprising that her lifelong pathological curiosity entered her career, but she did receive some opposition online.
The jeweler said: "I have received various responses. Some people like my job, some hate it, and some people hate the work of teeth and bones.
"Most of my clients tell me that they wear their creations every day. I like to work with people one-on-one to create perfect pieces for them.
"My motivation is to make thought-provoking works using things that are often discarded or taboos, and to open conversations about the creepy and pathological side of life."
More Jacqui's work is on her website www.gravemetallumjewellery.com
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