THE HOME PAGE of Heavenly Glass’s website, in addition to displaying a few of the beautiful creations by owner Shari Booth, states the mission: “Remembered well, forever held, within heavenly glass.”
A simple glance at the work created by Booth shows the amount of care, detail and finesse that goes into every piece to achieve that exact mission. Booth provides many different memorial options, which range in price as well. Some pieces are smaller like the glass jewelry beads, orbs and hearts, which come in a variety of colors; some are larger and a bit more intricate, like the Peace Lily pieces, which have the option for further customization.
During a time of sadness, stress and grieving, simply looking through the beautiful memorial pieces can offer families a sense of comfort and peace, while they are able to thoughtfully select a piece that captures the love they have for their family member. The striking, unique glass mementos provide family members a way to fuse the ashes of their loved ones into the piece of art, and that goes for furry family members as well, as this service is also offered for the ashes of a pet.
The ashes are always the center focus of each piece as a way to honor and show remembrance. Heavenly Glass has a wide variety of pieces to choose from, and families can rest assured that each piece is handcrafted with care and love. Booth crafts each memorial piece herself from 2,100- degree molten glass. Ashes are carefully and thoughtfully fused within solid glass orbs, “in a beautiful way that really reflects the light,” she explains. She then shapes, cools, polishes and engraves each memorial piece herself before hand-delivering it to the appropriate funeral home or pet cremation service.
In addition to providing a beautiful piece of art to honor a lost family member, Heavenly Glass also serves to provide healing for the grieving family members. Booth knows this pain all too well, as the loss of her son inspired her to take her love of glass blowing from just a hobby to a life’s mission.
“After working in the medical field for 15 years, helping others heal from injuries and sickness, I had no idea how to survive this kind of loss,” Booth says. Even though Booth had always been a lover of many different art forms, she found something cathartic and therapeutic about glass blowing that led her to pursue it further.
“The art is intensive and meditative because it requires you to constantly focus on spinning and balancing the hot glass at the end of the 5-foot steel pipe. You can’t worry about mistakes in the past or what you will do in the future; you can only focus on how the glass feels in that moment and how you will respond in that moment,” she says.
When the loss of her son altered her world, Booth decided the right thing to do was to leave her career in the medical field and focus on her healing through artwork— and how that healing could possibly help others as well.
“The healing and the art became one as I began to create memorial designs to honor my son’s memory in a meaningful way that reminded me of divine beauty and hope,” Booth explains. “I realized that others could benefit from this art, and I am honored to help them heal in a beautiful way.”
Booth also wanted to extend this particular way of healing to pet owners, who love and honor their pets as treasured family members, by extending her artwork to include pet ashes. In addition to partnering with several pet cremation services across the OKC metro area, Heavenly Pets products can also be ordered through most OKC metro veterinary clinics. Booth acknowledges the strong bonds people form with their pets and hopes that Heavenly Glass products can help break the stigmas around mourning and grieving for pets.
“I think the first thing we need to do is admit our pain and loss, and then, without judgement, give ourselves permission to heal,” she explains. “We love our pets like family. It’s not our fault; it’s because our pets love us unconditionally. They’re eternal optimists, always happy to see us, always believing the best in us. Their fur is the best therapy against depression, and playing with them is our favorite stress management— not to mention how much we love them and grow to depend on them. Of course, we are devastated when they pass.”
Seeing how this devastation affects families after they lose a pet, Booth wanted to honor that pain and grieving process through her work. “I realized that by helping others heal from any loss, it helps me to heal, too,” she says. For anyone dealing with the loss of a pet, a glass memorial is a perfect option. Booth treats all of her grieving clients with the same dignity and respect, honoring the important role that animals play in their lives and treating them like respected members of the family.
Booth says she has three main best sellers at Heavenly Glass, which are all the same base price: the Memorial Heart, the Embrace Design and the Intertwine Orb. Each piece has a different prominent feature, and Booth has found that there is something special about each one that draws people in, depending on their personal stylistic taste. For example, Booth explains that people who are more tactile may be drawn to a heart design, which will stand on its own but also has the perfect curves and shapes to be held, which can bring a certain sense of peace and comfort through touch.
“People who appreciate traditional art often choose our Embrace Design, where the symmetry of swirled lines of glimmering ashes surrounding the glass colors reflects a more traditional Italian glass stone look,” Booth states.
The Intertwine Orb design is also quite popular, as it reflects stars in a galaxy through its intricate upward spirals. The thoughtfulness in each individual piece and the way in which Booth caters to the needs of those in the grieving process truly shows the heart behind the business.
There are several ways customers can purchase a Heavenly Glass piece. Booth has partnered with all pet cremation services in Oklahoma City, making it an easy process for pet owners as the services can be set up through veterinary clinics. Those looking to purchase memorial pieces can also contact the website for private appointments or to request a unique, custom design.
Booth also wants families to know she can make memorials from older remains as well—a question she is often asked. She thinks this process can help families remember the best times and allow for continued grieving and healing.
“I can make memorials from older remains,” Booth explains. “After I have created the memorial, the rest is up to you to take the time to remember the best of them and let yourself feel. Memories are such powerful things, and they can hurt you or save you; so, always let the memories of love and warmth fill your heart.”
The loss of any family member can bring about times of pain, confusion, loss and mourning. From making final preparations to learning to navigate a new life without a loved one, loss in any form brings about painful transformation. Booth experienced this kind of transformation through the loss of her son and decided to turn her experience and her artistic skillset into a way to help others heal. From here, Heavenly Glass came to life, offering families across the Oklahoma City metro a way to honor and remember their lost loved ones (furry family members, too), truly living up to the motto of “remembered well, forever held, within heavenly glass.”
To learn more about Heavenly Glass, visit heavenlyglassokc.com.
