Founder of Cherished Emblems · Memorial & cremation jewelry since 2018
The story behind Cherished Emblems
When I was four years old, I was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer. I survived — I've been cancer-free ever since — but an experience like that, that early, teaches you something most people learn much later: the time we get is fragile, and what we do with it matters. I grew up knowing I wanted to spend mine helping people through their hardest moments. For a long time, I didn't know what that would look like.
Then I lost Brother.
When my cat Brother passed away, the bills arrived faster than I could pay them. I couldn't afford his cremation — which meant I never got to bring his ashes home. The only physical thing my family had left of him was a single whisker we'd saved. Then that was stolen, and suddenly we had nothing of his to hold onto.
That loss stayed with me for years. When I eventually discovered — through Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Death — that cremation and memorial jewelry existed, everything clicked: this was how I could help. In 2018 I founded Cherished Emblems so no family would have to go through what mine did — losing someone, and then losing the last thing that connected you to them.
Since then, more than 19,000 families have trusted us to help them keep a loved one — pet or person — close. I still run Cherished Emblems day to day, and I write every article on this blog myself, drawing on years of conversations with grieving families about what actually helps.
In the press
In July 2026, my story about Brother was featured in USA TODAY's coverage of pet insurance and the real costs at the end of a pet's life.
"When you're grieving, the last thing you want to be doing is math in a vet's office. Insurance buys you the room to decide based on what's right for your pet — not what's left in your account that day."
— Jordan Colton, as quoted in USA TODAY, July 2026
Writers and journalists: I'm glad to share perspective or data on pet loss, memorialization, and the costs families face at the end of a pet's life. Reach me at support@cherishedemblems.com.
If you're here because you've lost someone — I'm sorry. I hope something we provide helps you carry them with you.