Crafting Your Custom Keepsake
At Timeless Moments, we take the utmost care in handling and preserving your flowers so that they look the same tomorrow as you remembered them on your special day.
We use the process of freeze-drying because it is considered the best floral preservation method available today were flowers retain their natural shape and vivid color. We meticulously and expertly craft each keepsake from your precious flowers.
Step by Step How We Craft Your Keepsake
- Your flowers are taken apart and re-hydrated.
- Pre-treatments are used to hold the natural color and open the cell structure.
- Your flowers are then placed in a secure holding freezer.
- We label all of the extras (ribbons, pins, etc.) storing them until we create your keepsake.
- Any items that you would like to enclose with the keepsake must be received before assembly is started.
- Your flowers are wired then sealed with a thin polymer coat to protect them from the sun, moisture, and to enhance the color.
- Based on the choices you made during your personal consultation with us, we will design and arrange your flowers into your special keepsake. We surround your flowers and any accessories with a special display case or domed frame that will protect them for many years to come.
- A proof of the keepsake is provided for approval before it is sealed. However, the flowers cannot be moved.
Once approved your flowers are tested for complete dryness, then sealed and are ready to be shipped or picked up.We photograph your flowers.
Crafting Flower Petal Jewelry
The art of crafting flower petal jewelry was practiced for centuries by nuns in different countries around the world. Nuns created flower petal beads mostly for rosaries; their laborious process took days. They cooked the flowers to extract the moisture from the flower petals, and the result was a thick flower paste that was used to make beads. With our modern freeze-dry technology, Timeless Moments has revived and improved on this almost lost art.
How We Craft Your Jewelry:
- Your flowers are freeze-dried.
- The petals are removed and pulverized.
- We shape the pulverized flowers into “floral jewels.”
- The beads and stones are glazed multiple times to add a protectant seal.
- The floral jewels are assembled with excellent materials such as sterling silver or gold.
- The final piece(s) are elegantly packaged and ready to be shipped or picked up.
Freeze-drying Flowers
Specific chemicals are applied to the petals, to preserve the rich, vibrant color of your flowers. The treated flowers are then placed on a tray and loaded into our state-of-the-art freeze-dryer.
The flowers are frozen at temperatures of -30° and will be adjusted very slowly until the chamber reaches 70°. A vacuum is formed in the chamber so that the moisture from the flowers can be slowly extracted. This part of the procedure is done at a slower rate to prevent damage to the petals from the moisture bursting out of the cells.
The flowers are initially brittle when taken out of the freeze-dryer; thus they are handled with gentle hands and returned to room temperature to allow softening. The flowers are arranged on wires, and color enhancement is applied if needed. A thin layer of polymer coating is added to the petals of each flower to protect them from dust, moisture, and light.
The flowers are then stored in a special container until the design process is ready to be started. All extra items must be received before the keepsake can be assembled. During this time, the post-treatment will dry completely, and the flowers become less brittle.
