Is it weird to put jewelry on a corpse in a coffin?

Question

My mother-in-law just passed away and her daughter wants to put her(my mother-in-law's) costume jewlery on her(earrings, necklace, watch, and diamond wedding ring on her and bury her in it) It kind of weirds me out. So, does the whole viewing of the body thing and open casket.

Answer 1

No, it's not weird, your wife is trying to imprint in her mind what her mom looks like.  My dad buried my mom with her wedding ring, because he knew that we five girls would fight over who it would go to.

Answer 2

It doesn't matter.  Do what is best for your wife (which means do what she wants) but because its an open casket you would want her to look pretty so people only have to best memories (sorry if its expensive jewelery)

Good Luck

Answer 3

no its not weird. all i have say is your mother -n- law cant take it with her in heaven though. but i know how you feel about viewing the body. my grandpa died 3 years ago and i felt the same way

Answer 4

I think it is weirder for people to grave rob and dig it up because they know it might be there, the most professional of this group call themselves archaeologist.All cultures do it though  

Answer 5

No it's not weird. She probably had a few signature pieces that she was always seen wearing. Your wife probably just wants her to be seen as everyone knew her.  

Answer 6

Well, this may not necessarily be germane to the situation.  But the

behavour you describe actually is a rather well established custom

going back to prehistoric times.

Remeber the Pharohs (sic?) were buried in great splendor and with

all their prized possessions.  

But it is true that it's a little unusual to put anything of value in a coffin

in contemporary times.

And it's actually a Bad Idea.  For if and when the economy turns

"south for the winter" it's not unheard of for some desparate individuals

to exhume the dead for the gold filings (or other things like the

diamond ring you mention).  

Might be a good idea to counsel your relative to refrain from including

any real jewelry in the coffin.  Costume jewelry is the most I'd suggest.

Answer 7

Sometimes, when you lose someone, it is very hard to let them go, especially when you were very close to them.  My father died two years ago.  He was a gentle and kind man who was loved by every one he ever met.  For some of us, it was more comforting to put things in his casket from us so he would not be alone.  Pictures, his grand daughters teddy bear, which was something she had had for ten years and cherished.  We just did not want him to be down there alone.  No, it does not matter because he was dead, but to us it did.  

Was jewelry something this lady liked?  Maybe it is comforting for her daughter to send her out that way.  Funerals are not for the dead but for the living to say good bye to them. If it makes her feel better about her mothers death, go with it.  The important thing is that you support her in it.

As for feeling weirded out about the whole open casket thing, you obviously have not lost some one close to you.  That is not bad, I am happy for you, but it is different when the one in the casket is someone you truly loved.    

Answer 8

No not weird, but always use costume jewelry! They don't bury them with the real jewelry. Can't tell you how i know that. But it's true!

Answer 9

It is not at all uncommon to put jewelry on the deceased.  It makes them look more like themselves.  Costume jewelry is fine to bury, but I usually recommend that the family keep any jewelry of value, as is isn't doing the deceased any good!

As for the answers from Robert and confused:

Robert, we do NOT steal the jewelry.  That is ridiculous.  I am perfectly capable of purchasing my OWN jewelry.  We are respectable, educated people, we don't need to steal from a corpse, we have more kuth than that, thanks anyway.

Confused: Bodies are exhumed to steal the gold teeth?  Really? Hmm, thats odd, seeing that the casket is usually sealed and then placed in a concrete vault which is also generally sealed (and lets not forget the just the lid alone usually weighs about 1,000 pounds).  With that said, so you really think someone is going to get a backhoe to dig up the body and then use a jackhammer to bust open the vault, all for some WORTHLESS gold teeth that you can't even be sure are there?  That is ludacris.  Gold teeth are worthless.  It is such a small amount of gold to begin with, do you really believe that someone would exhume a body for this?  They wouldn't, I guarantee it.

Answer 10

nothing wrong here it is traditional in some families

Answer 11

Well maybe you're weirded out because you know she doesn't need any of it and it will end up in her coffin with her skeleton... but then again Ancient Egyptians...Chinese people would bury their dead with their belongings because they thought it would be useful for them later on... nowadays maybe people do it to please the dead...so they can keep their prized possessions forever...and you're not alone, when you see a dead dog in the street its like whatever (although sad) but you know its a human being that no longer lives... so all you see is a dead cold body...death is so taboo and unknown which scares people...

Answer 12

It's not so weird. It's common practice and tradition to bury a person with their treasured posessions.  Even though they can't take those things with them, it shows respect to them to make them look their nicest and it honors them to bury them with things that they valued in life. Her daughter probably just wants her to look nice and show how much her mother meant to her by burying her with nice things.

Answer 13

I guess not

My grandfather was burried with huge Gold jewelry.

Answer 14

i would think twice about that idea, it seems in some funeral parlours the putting on the lid is the final touch, that is after the rings, necklaces etc. are stolen from the bodies