Wondering what to get that special mom in your life? Have you considered breastmilk jewelry?
No, we’re not joking, and yes, we’re absolutely serious. Breastmilk jewelry has been making the rounds in the news and online parenting spheres lately, not for being a strange oddity that people want to laugh about, but for being a beautiful and meaningful piece of art for many families.
When you think about it, the bond between a mother and child through breastfeeding is beautiful and the fact that some mothers may want to honor that bond makes complete sense. For a lot of mothers, breastfeeding is a journey filled with enormous challenges and hurdles, so keeping a remembrance of the struggles you fought through to keep nourishing your child is something very special. And of course, there’s the small fact that you may just want a necklace to remember the times you and your baby were so close as he or she grows. Or, maybe you just want a creative way to use up that leftover breastmilk you have.
Either way, you may be wondering: just what is breastmilk jewelry and how could you get your hands on a piece? Let’s take a look.
How is Breastmilk Jewelry Made?
Breastmilk jewelry is made by an artist taking a small amount of breastmilk and mixing it with special chemicals and resin to allow it to be shaped and hardened for use in jewelry pieces. Because breastmilk is already a creamy white color, once mixed and hardened, it takes on a beautiful opal consistency, much like the real jewel.
You don’t need a lot of breastmilk to create a piece of jewelry. For instance, the artist behind Post-Bedtime Creations explains on her website that less than a ½ ounce of fresh or frozen breastmilk is all that she needs to make a piece of custom breastmilk jewelry. You could even send in older, frozen milk, as the age of the milk doesn’t matter, providing it is not discolored in any way.
The process of transforming the breastmilk creates a stone that is similar in make-up to plastic, so it shouldn’t be exposed to any extreme temperatures or left out in the sun, as it can lead to discoloration and even the loss of its shape.
Why People Love Breastmilk Jewelry
Moms who have had breastmilk jewelry made cite that it has helped them remember the special journey that they embarked on with their baby through nursing, that they love the idea of keeping a part of their physical bond intact, or that the jewelry was a very special gift for someone else.
For instance, one woman in a family had a piece of breastmilk jewelry made for her sister after her infant son passed away; she was still producing milk, and the family organized to have a piece of jewelry made from the milk she still had as a way to honor her son. And still another mother, who had twins, had friends that secretly stole some of her breastmilk so that they could honor the incredible strength she exhibited in feeding not one, but two babies. Talk about a beautiful gift!
Where You Can Find Breastmilk Jewelry
A quick Google search for breastmilk jewelry will yield you many different options for locating a vendor that you feel a connection with. Aside from independent websites that offer breastmilk jewelry, Etsy lists dozens of breastmilk jewelry vendors who offer everything from necklaces to pendant rings to bracelets that can be customized and feature your actual breastmilk in stone form.
Many vendors offer other type of related products, such as jewelry that can incorporate ashes, hair, placenta capsules, and even umbilical cords. The theme with this type of custom jewelry is preserving what piece of the mother-child bond is meaningful and special to you, and transforming it into something beautiful that you can keep with you for as long as you would like.
The process for getting the jewelry is easy—you simply follow the instructions for getting the breastmilk to the artist, then wait for your creation to arrive in the mail. There are also some DIY kits you can purchase to make your own breastmilk jewelry at home if you’d like to give that a try.
Would you try breastmilk jewelry for yourself or for a friend? We think it’s a beautiful way to honor the act of breastfeeding!
Photo by Andie Gómez-Acebo on Unsplash