Glass Artwork Made From Cremated Human Remains Unknowingly Purchased By Utah Thrift Store Customer (PHOTO)
The Huffington Post | By Katherine Brooks Posted: 12/03/2012 5:56 pm EST Updated: 12/04/2012 10:22 am EST
Some people might be disturbed by the fact that thrift stores are filled with objects once owned by people now deceased. But how would those people feel if they knew the actual remains of the dead were available for purchase as well?
Don't worry, this isn't a new trend hitting thrift stores everywhere. It's just the beginnings of a truly bizarre scenario, starring Utah resident Jennifer Peterson. The unsuspecting shopper recently bought a $3 blown glass piece at a Utah thrift outlet only to find out later that the work of art was manufactured from cremated human remains, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Shaun and Jennifer Peterson pose for a portrait with a memorial glass at their home Thursday, Nov. 8, 2012. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Chris Detrick)
Petersen, an avid bargain hunter, discovered the unlikely medium of her purchase after searching the name found on a stamp at the bottom of her thrift store find, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. She stumbled upon an Oregon-based art gallery called The Edge, which featured a section of "memorial glass" artworks on their website. The description of the glass explained that pieces like Petersen's globe run for about $150 and are made from one to three ounces of cremated remains.
Petersen called the gallery to confirm that the blue and white streaks on her sand-filled glass piece are indeed the product of human remains, according to the Standard-Examiner. With that part of the mystery solved, she's now determined to find the original owner of the item and perhaps uncover how the genuine treasure ended up at Utah's West Jordan Deseret Industries.
"I’ve got somebody’s grandma in my house," Peterson told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Somebody, somewhere is missing. I’d like to return it to the owners and the family."
Petersen's odd thrift store find might not be worth as much as the Salvador Dali etching found at a Goodwill in Seattle or the Ilya Bolotwosky painting found at a North Carolina thrift store, but it surely belongs among the ranks of the more bizarre thrift store finds we've ever seen.
The Huffington Post | By Katherine Brooks Posted: 12/03/2012 5:56 pm EST Updated: 12/04/2012 10:22 am EST
Some people might be disturbed by the fact that thrift stores are filled with objects once owned by people now deceased. But how would those people feel if they knew the actual remains of the dead were available for purchase as well?
Don't worry, this isn't a new trend hitting thrift stores everywhere. It's just the beginnings of a truly bizarre scenario, starring Utah resident Jennifer Peterson. The unsuspecting shopper recently bought a $3 blown glass piece at a Utah thrift outlet only to find out later that the work of art was manufactured from cremated human remains, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Petersen, an avid bargain hunter, discovered the unlikely medium of her purchase after searching the name found on a stamp at the bottom of her thrift store find, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. She stumbled upon an Oregon-based art gallery called The Edge, which featured a section of "memorial glass" artworks on their website. The description of the glass explained that pieces like Petersen's globe run for about $150 and are made from one to three ounces of cremated remains.
Petersen called the gallery to confirm that the blue and white streaks on her sand-filled glass piece are indeed the product of human remains, according to the Standard-Examiner. With that part of the mystery solved, she's now determined to find the original owner of the item and perhaps uncover how the genuine treasure ended up at Utah's West Jordan Deseret Industries.
"I’ve got somebody’s grandma in my house," Peterson told The Salt Lake Tribune. "Somebody, somewhere is missing. I’d like to return it to the owners and the family."
Petersen's odd thrift store find might not be worth as much as the Salvador Dali etching found at a Goodwill in Seattle or the Ilya Bolotwosky painting found at a North Carolina thrift store, but it surely belongs among the ranks of the more bizarre thrift store finds we've ever seen.