diff --git a/src/preserves.nim b/src/preserves.nim
index 2171f47..8902718 100644
--- a/src/preserves.nim
+++ b/src/preserves.nim
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ proc toDictionary*(pairs: openArray[(string, Value)]): Value =
   for (key, val) in pairs: result[toSymbol(key)] = val
 
 proc embed*(pr: sink Value): Value =
-  ## Create a Preserves value that embeds ``e``.
+  ## Mark a Preserves value as embedded.
   result = pr
   result.embedded = true
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ template preservesLiteral*(value: typed) {.pragma.}
   ## See ``toPreserves``.
 
 template preservesEmbedded*() {.pragma.}
-  ## Pragma to mark a value as embedded by `toPreserves`.
+  ## Pragma to mark a type or value as embedded.
 
 template unpreservable*() {.pragma.}
   ## Pragma to forbid a type from being converted by ``toPreserves``.
@@ -375,11 +375,12 @@ proc toPreserves*[T](x: T): Value {.gcsafe.} =
   elif T is Ordinal:
     result = Value(kind: pkRegister, register: x.ord)
     assert result.register.T == x
-  elif T is EmbeddedRef:
-    result = embed(x)
   elif T is ptr | ref:
-    if system.`==`(x, nil): result = initRecord("null")
-    else: result = toPreserves(x[])
+    when T.hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+      result = embed(x)
+    else:
+      if system.`==`(x, nil): result = initRecord("null")
+      else: result = toPreserves(x[])
   elif T is string:
     result = Value(kind: pkString, string: x)
   elif T is SomeInteger:
@@ -390,15 +391,18 @@ proc toPreserves*[T](x: T): Value {.gcsafe.} =
   elif T is distinct:
     result = toPreserves(x.distinctBase)
   elif T is object:
-    template applyEmbed(key: string; v: var Value) {.used.} =
-      when x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
-        v.embedded = true
-    template fieldToPreserve(key: string; val: typed): Value {.used.} =
+    template fieldToPreserve[F](key: string; field: F): Value {.used.} =
       when x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesLiteral):
         const atom = x.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral).parsePreservesAtom
-        atom.toPreservesHook()
+        when x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+          atom.toPreservesHook().embed
+        else:
+          atom.toPreservesHook()
+      elif x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded) and F is EmbeddedRef:
+        embed(field)
       else:
-        toPreserves(val)
+        field.toPreserves
+          # checking for the embedded pragma here yields false positives
     when T.hasCustomPragma(unpreservable):
       raiseAssert($T & " is unpreservable")
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesOr):
@@ -410,13 +414,11 @@ proc toPreserves*[T](x: T): Value {.gcsafe.} =
         else:
           assert(hasKind and not hasVariant)
           result = fieldToPreserve(k, v)
-          applyEmbed(k, result)
           hasVariant = true
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesRecord):
       result = Value(kind: pkRecord)
       for k, v in x.fieldPairs:
         var pr = fieldToPreserve(k, v)
-        applyEmbed(k, pr)
         result.record.add(pr)
       result.record.add(toSymbol(T.getCustomPragmaVal(preservesRecord)))
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesTuple):
@@ -428,7 +430,6 @@ proc toPreserves*[T](x: T): Value {.gcsafe.} =
           # TODO: what if there are fields after the tail?
         else:
           var pr = fieldToPreserve(label, field)
-          applyEmbed(label, pr)
           result.sequence.add(pr)
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesDictionary):
       result = initDictionary()
@@ -436,11 +437,13 @@ proc toPreserves*[T](x: T): Value {.gcsafe.} =
         when val is Option:
           if val.isSome:
             var pr = fieldToPreserve(key, val.get)
-            applyEmbed(key, pr)
+            if x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+              pr.embedded = true
             result[key.toSymbol] = pr
         else:
           var pr = fieldToPreserve(key, val)
-          applyEmbed(key, pr)
+          if x.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+            pr.embedded = true
           result[key.toSymbol] = pr
       sortDict(result)
     else:
@@ -661,19 +664,27 @@ proc fromPreserves*[T](v: var T; pr: Value): bool {.gcsafe.} =
             else: false
           if not result: break
     else: discard
-  elif T is EmbeddedRef:
-    v = T(pr.embeddedRef)
-    result = true
   elif T is ref:
-    if isNil(v): new(v)
-    result = fromPreserves(v[], pr)
+    when T.hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+      if (pr.kind == pkEmbedded) and (pr.embeddedRef of T):
+        v = T(pr.embeddedRef)
+        result = true
+    else:
+      if isNil(v): new(v)
+      result = fromPreserves(v[], pr)
   elif T is object:
-    template fieldFromPreserve(key: string; val: typed; pr: Value): bool {.used.} =
+    template fieldFromPreserve[T](key: string; val: T; pr: Value): bool {.used.} =
       when v.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesLiteral):
         const atom = v.dot(key).getCustomPragmaVal(preservesLiteral).parsePreservesAtom
         pr == atom.toPreservesHook()
-      else:
-        fromPreserves(val, pr)
+      elif v.dot(key).hasCustomPragma(preservesEmbedded):
+        when T is EmbeddedRef:
+          if pr.kind == pkEmbedded and pr.embeddedRef of T:
+            val = T(pr.embeddedRef)
+            true
+          else: false
+        else: fromPreserves(val, pr)
+      else: fromPreserves(val, pr)
     when T.hasCustomPragma(unpreservable):
       raiseAssert($T & " is unpreservable")
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesRecord):
@@ -726,7 +737,8 @@ proc fromPreserves*[T](v: var T; pr: Value): bool {.gcsafe.} =
             inc i
             result = result and val.isSome
             if result:
-              result = result and fieldFromPreserve(key, v.dot(key), val.get)
+              var pr = val.get
+              result = result and fieldFromPreserve(key, v.dot(key), pr)
         result = result and (i <= pr.len)
     elif T.hasCustomPragma(preservesOr):
       for kind in typeof(T.orKind):
diff --git a/tests/test_conversions.nim b/tests/test_conversions.nim
index 00782cb..47ba47a 100644
--- a/tests/test_conversions.nim
+++ b/tests/test_conversions.nim
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ suite "conversions":
     type
       Foo {.preservesRecord: "foo".} = object
         n: int
-        bar: Bar
+        bar {.preservesEmbedded.}: Bar
       Bar = ref object of RootObj
         x: int
       Baz = ref object of RootObj