We are thrilled to announce that Green Bay Packers and NFL Man of the Year nominee, Aaron Jones, will partner with Eterneva to create a memorable diamond in honor of his father who passed away in 2021. In addition to the partnership, Jones has invested his own capital in the company.
In April of 2021, Aaron lost his beloved father, Alvin Jones Senior, to complications from COVID-19.
As a way to help process the immense grief that came with losing his hero, Aaron kept his father close to him by wearing his ashes in a pendant around his neck throughout the football season. After an incident where he nearly lost the pendant during a touchdown play, Aaron turned to Eterneva to create a unique diamond to commemorate his father.
Aaron Jones and his family have been searching for the best way to honor Alvin Sr. and keep his legacy alive. Creating a diamond allows Aaron to have his father close to him, both on and off the field. “We wanted to show Aaron and his family a new way to celebrate his father and help them find a measure of brightness, meaning and healing,” said Eterneva co-founder and CEO Adelle Archer. “We are so honored to walk alongside the Jones family during this journey.”
Now, over the next 10 months, we’ll work closely with Aaron and his family throughout Eterneva’s 7-stage journey process, turning Alvin's ashes into a one-of-a-kind diamond and getting to know more about his remarkable life along the way.
Remembering Alvin Jones Senior’s Remarkable Life
“He showed me how a man’s supposed to be a man.”
In a heartfelt article written by Aaron on The Players Tribune in 2020, he opened up about his remarkable father as he himself was transitioning into fatherhood.
“I still remember when my dad held [my son] for the first time. It was at our place, and my mom came in and I gave Aaron Jr. to her, and then she very gently gave him to my dad. That was something. I see things in how he is with my son all the time that remind me so much of how he was with me. He’s always around, always wanting to be involved, wanting to see him grow. He calls him his little buddy.”
Aaron remembers when his father told him that he had grown up without a father. He was only five or six at the time.
“He told us that he was so involved in our lives because he had never met his own dad. When he started having kids he’d told himself that he was going to do everything in his power to show his children what a man is supposed to be like, and how he’s supposed to take care of his children. And he continued to remind me and my twin brother, Alvin, about that fact all throughout our childhood.“
Grieving the one who was always there
“Sometimes it’s bigger than the game of football. My dad was right there. He’s always been right there. He’s always been right there for me.”
As difficult as it is to share the reality of grief in a public spotlight, Aaron is helping to start the conversation about grief within the NFL by being open and honest about his experience losing his remarkable father.
“Sometimes it’s bigger than the game of football. My dad was right there. He’s always been right there. He’s always been right there for me.”
Aaron recently shared a heartfelt video on his Instagram where he candidly conveyed how he felt after losing his dad.
“It still doesn’t feel real. Honestly, at times I feel empty. I was still learning how to become a man and my man left, he’s not here anymore. But I know he’d want me to keep going. That’s all he’s taught me to do is to put your head down and keep pushing. Whatever it is, keep pushing through it. I don’t know how I’m going to do it the next day or the next day, but it always works out and I get through it.”
Embarking on a new journey with dad
“I can’t physically see him or touch him, but I know he’s still with me, my dad. He left his gift.”
Now, as Aaron heads into the playoffs with the Green Bay Packers, he’ll embark on a brand new journey with his dad. This partnership with Eterneva begins the journey of turning his beloved dad’s ashes into a one-of-a-kind memorial diamond that he can take with him everywhere he goes, including the endzone.
“My father was the greatest man that I’ve ever known and losing him tore my heart into a million pieces. The diamond is one way I intend to honor his memory and keep him by my side.”
Want to learn more about creating your own memorial diamond?
Whether you have ashes at home or recently lost a remarkable person - we’re ready to help you celebrate their life by making a diamond from ashes or hair.
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