When Sydney jeweller Gillian Kilgour’s good friend, Zvele, was diagnosed with cancer in 2019, he asked her to make a pendant for his wife. It wasn’t your standard commission.

For starters, the 18-carat gold necklace was inscribed with the words and notation of the couple’s favourite songs. It also featured an elaborate star and a “Z” detail on its reverse, highlighted with diamonds. But perhaps its most unusual feature was a chamber, designed to house his ashes when he eventually passed – which he did a year later.