The Eterneva team is committed to sharing real stories that help celebrate the remarkable lives of loved ones who have passed and have started their new journey as a memorial diamond. These real stories are here to help connect us, spark joy, inspire gratitude, and move us forward together.
We sat down with Nik to understand more about his journey turning his beloved cat Serena’s ashes into a beautiful round-cut diamond ring.
The Remarkable Legacy of Serena
Nik’s cat, Serena, was a bit of a hodge-podge. She was a domestic long-hair cat with gray and white fur.
Serena was a bit of a diva and quite particular about the people she allowed into her life for cuddles and pets. Nik’s friends and family really had to earn her trust and respect in order for her to accept them into their shared life.
“It’s kind of like I had this mother-figure judging everyone, like ‘oh, no we don’t like them yet, step away, don’t get too much attached.’ You really had to show and win her over to win her good graces.”
But to Nik, Serena was nothing but love and affection. She was a little crass at times, but who isn’t?
Serena loved Nik’s fiance and those close to him in life. All except for his best friend from growing up. For a reason no one could figure out, even after years apart at college, Serena hated Nik’s best friend. They could never really figure out exactly why Serena would growl and hiss at Nik’s friend, but low and behold, she kept the grudge.
The Little Things
It’s hard to say who found who when it comes to Nik and Serena.
While in college, Nik rescued a litter of kittens from an abandoned garage next door. Nik could only keep one of the five kittens. He had noticed a brown spot on Serena’s nose and thought it was dirt. He tried to bathe it off, but only to realize she had a little freckle on her nose. It was a little freckle that made her unique and special.
Nik took Serena as a kitten to the park and she would just hang around. She didn’t run off anywhere, instead she just took a nap. It’s something outlandish that Nik will never forget.
Serena also loved sitting in shoe boxes. She would sit in it so long that she’d wear out the box to the point that Nik would feel guilty and buy a new pair of shoes so that she could be comfortable.
She loved sitting in the window and waiting for Nik to get home from work. She waited until Nik was in the driveway and then sprinted downstairs to greet him at the door as soon as she saw his car, just like a dog would.
Serena was a lapcat and would sleep with Nik every night. She always wanted to be in his lap and give love. Throughout all of the little things Serena did, Nik knew she was his soulmate.
Celebrating Serena As A Forever Diamond
When Nik was considering what he’d do to memorialize Serena, it was clear that he wanted something to symbolize just how much she meant to him.
“This whole entire process was fascinating to learn about. All the science and everything behind it, all the different steps, and the fact that she went jet setting around all over the place throughout the entire process. It was just something that I knew as soon as they were like ‘oh, this is an option that you're able to do.’ It was no joking matter of ‘oh, can I do this?’ It was a matter of I'm doing this. Let's get it started and figure out the details later.”
Nik chose a white round diamond to memorialize Serena and her super powers.
Serena was named after the Japanese anime character in the Sailor Moon series. During the series, Serena gets her powers to transform from a millennium silver crystal, which is essentially like a white diamond.
“I will now get my powers from Serena just having her connected right here on me, knowing that all the time she’s not far away.”
Since receiving the diamond, Nik’s friends have been very inquisitive about the process of turning ashes into a diamond.
“So many individuals never knew that they could really do much with the ashes, as normally after they lose a relative or a pet, it's just more so like ‘Oh well, I guess we can get the ashes and kind of just disconnect [from] it.“
Throughout the diamond growing process with Eterneva, Nik appreciated that he could turn the special bond that he had with Serena into something that would last forever.
“The Eterneva team has been just so amazing through every single step of the process. The first introduction phone call I had I was just blown away by how amazing the team was then. They were more concerned about my well being than making a deal.
I had the opportunity to talk to the CEO… it was amazing to just get the opportunity to speak with her and to share my story and my thoughts and feedback. It was just something I'm not used to and I just was blown away by this.”
A Path Forward
While Nik expected to have more time with Serena than he did, there’s no ignoring the fact that he’s learned so much from his time with her. She was his soulmate and Nik knew that he had to honor his partner in crime in a special and unique way.
“Serena taught me that there is a good life to live out there and to never really take advantage of it…You never know how long you have on this rock and you really want to make the most of your time with loved ones, with everyone, and not to always just assume you have the future.”
While this was the first significant death Nik experienced in his life, it’s clear that he’s learning what he can from his own experience with grief.
“I've never really had a relative pass away or anything, so this was my first major death experience and it was hard. But each day got a little bit better and having to go through and deal with the grief process is really how you can really start growing as an individual and really put a lot more things into perspective and. I can't thank her enough for that.”
Serena is proof to Nik that soulmates do exist. And that sometimes soulmates never really leave us.
“Serena would like to be remembered as being essentially my soul mate... I just felt something with her for that entire time we were together and like sometimes now occasionally when I'm feeling low or you're just over a very long exhausting day of work and you just kind of get that weird feeling. It's a positive feeling that I really haven't had without her being around at all. Occasionally I’ll get it and be like, well, I feel like she's here.”
Moving Forward With the Grief
Losing a soulmate can feel like a chapter of life is ending, but it doesn’t mean the story ends.
“It's not easy when you lose a friend, loved one, or pet. It's not easy and no one can tell you exactly how to handle it in groups. It takes one day at a time and a lot of self discovery and there will be dark times. There will be. But there will be happy times, happiness does return.”
What are your little things?
We're on a mission to change a culture around death, grief, and remembrance at Eterneva. We believe the little things shared with a loved one are some of the most important and impactful treasures in life. We want to help you find solace on your grieving journey by embracing the little things you shared with your loved one that left a lasting impression.
And for those who aren’t on a grieving journey, this is for you too! Who are the most precious people in your life and what are their little things? Through loss we learn about life. So how can you learn from Nik and Serena's remarkable love to practice presence and gratitude the next time your loved one slurps their coffee or has their silly quirk?
