Breast milk jewelry

Last updated
A silver pendant filled with breast milk. Mommymilkcreationsfilledtree.jpg
A silver pendant filled with breast milk.
Bezel set breast milk pendants in crescent and star shapes. MommyMilkCreationsbezelset.jpg
Bezel set breast milk pendants in crescent and star shapes.
A breastmilk jewellery artist, professionally preserving breastmilk. Owner of Breastmilk Jewellery ~ Soul infused keepsakes.jpg
A breastmilk jewellery artist, professionally preserving breastmilk.

Breast milk jewelry or Breast milk jewellery (Commonwealth English) is jewellery made from pumped or expressed mother's breast milk as a keepsake often worn by the mother. Breast milk keepsakes come in various jewelry types such as rings, lockets, pendants and popular European style beads. [1] Some pendants may be bezel set, locket set, made from only resin, or filled. Filled styles use a preserved breast milk and resin mix to fill holes or openings in jewelry pieces, usually Sterling Silver. [1] Generally, the filled shapes are trees, leaves, or hearts representing love and life.

Contents

Various methods may be used to make the jewelry. To preserve and protect it, the piece may be covered in a clear resin or glaze. [1] No matter the process used for preservation there seems to be a long and tedious process involved in creating the keepsakes, leading to long waits for order fulfillment. [2] The long waits for order fulfillment have caused online speculation about the practice, even gaining media attention. [3]

Origin

In 2013 NBC New York published an article about the jewellery, mentioning two Etsy artists (from Rhode Island and South Carolina) that reportedly started the idea as early as 2007. [1]

Process

After the purchase of a breast milk keepsake design the consumer sends their breast milk to the creator so the process can begin. Each creator likely uses a different trade process. [4] In some methods it is believed[ by whom? ] that solvents or chemicals are added to assist the preservation. Other methods may include dehydrating, freeze drying, cooking down, or mixing breast milk with other media.

Once the preserved breast milk and resin mixture is ready, it is carefully poured into molds, or a bezel setting, to create the desired stone shape. The molds can be customized to create various designs like those found in traditional jewelry design, hearts, flowers, or abstract shapes. [5] The mixture is left to cure and harden, which can take several hours or even days depending on the specific resin used.

Breastmilk jewelry carries immense significance for mothers, serving as a tangible reminder of the beautiful moments shared during the breastfeeding experience. The process of nursing creates a powerful bond between mother and child, and breastmilk jewelry preserves that connection in a tangible form. [6] These exquisite pieces serve as a celebration of motherhood, symbolizing the selflessness and nurturing nature of a mother's love.

Transform Precious Memories into Timeless Pieces with Breastmilk Jewelry. [7] A little piece of all that time, hard work and special memories to be held dear. This is so much more than jewelry and keepsakes. It's love, dedication and special moments preserved in a beautiful handmade stone.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakelite</span> First synthetic plastic

Bakelite, formally Polyoxybenzylmethyleneglycolanhydride, is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from a condensation reaction of phenol with formaldehyde. The first plastic made from synthetic components, it was developed by Leo Baekeland in Yonkers, New York in 1907, and patented on December 7, 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewellery</span> Form of personal adornment

Jewellery consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a western perspective, the term is restricted to durable ornaments, excluding flowers for example. For many centuries metal such as gold often combined with gemstones, has been the normal material for jewellery, but other materials such as glass, shells and other plant materials may be used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal casting</span> Pouring liquid metal into a mold

In metalworking and jewelry making, casting is a process in which a liquid metal is delivered into a mold that contains a negative impression of the intended shape. The metal is poured into the mold through a hollow channel called a sprue. The metal and mold are then cooled, and the metal part is extracted. Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be difficult or uneconomical to make by other methods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Engraving</span> Incising designs by cutting into a surface

Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing images on paper as prints or illustrations; these images are also called "engravings". Engraving is one of the oldest and most important techniques in printmaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Necklace</span> Jewellery worn around the neck

A necklace is an article of jewellery that is worn around the neck. Necklaces may have been one of the earliest types of adornment worn by humans. They often serve ceremonial, religious, magical, or funerary purposes and are also used as symbols of wealth and status, given that they are commonly made of precious metals and stones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooch</span> Large ornament with a pin fastening

A brooch is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments, often to fasten them together. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold or some other material. Brooches are frequently decorated with enamel or with gemstones and may be solely for ornament or serve a practical function as a clothes fastener. The earliest known brooches are from the Bronze Age. As fashions in brooches changed rather quickly, they are important chronological indicators. In archaeology, ancient European brooches are usually referred to by the Latin term fibula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molding (process)</span> Shaping a liquid or plastic material by making it conform to a more rigid mold

Molding or moulding is the process of manufacturing by shaping liquid or pliable raw material using a rigid frame called a mold or matrix. This itself may have been made using a pattern or model of the final object.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breast milk</span> Milk produced by the mammary glands in the breast of a human female

Breast milk or mother's milk is milk produced by mammary glands located in the breast of a human female. Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for newborns, containing fat, protein, carbohydrates and variable minerals and vitamins. Breast milk also contains substances that help protect an infant against infection and inflammation, whilst also contributing to healthy development of the immune system and gut microbiome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charm bracelet</span> Chain bracelet on which collectible charms may be hung

A charm bracelet is a type of bracelet which carries personal jewelled ornaments or "charms", such as decorative pendants or trinkets. The decorative charms usually carry personal or sentimental attachment by the owner.

Jewelry of the Etruscan civilization existed in several eras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breastfeeding</span> Feeding of babies or young children with milk from a womans breast

Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that breastfeeding begin within the first hour of a baby's life and continue as often and as much as the baby wants. Health organizations, including the WHO, recommend breastfeeding exclusively for six months. This means that no other foods or drinks, other than vitamin D, are typically given. The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life, followed by continued breastfeeding with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years and beyond. Of the 135 million babies born every year, only 42% are breastfed within the first hour of life, only 38% of mothers practice exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months, and 58% of mothers continue breastfeeding up to the age of two years and beyond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casting</span> Manufacturing process in which a liquid is poured into a mold to solidify

Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process. Casting materials are usually metals or various time setting materials that cure after mixing two or more components together; examples are epoxy, concrete, plaster and clay. Casting is most often used for making complex shapes that would be otherwise difficult or uneconomical to make by other methods. Heavy equipment like machine tool beds, ships' propellers, etc. can be cast easily in the required size, rather than fabricating by joining several small pieces. Casting is a 7,000-year-old process. The oldest surviving casting is a copper frog from 3200 BC.

Resin casting is a method of plastic casting where a mold is filled with a liquid synthetic resin, which then hardens. It is primarily used for small-scale production like industrial prototypes and dentistry. It can be done by amateur hobbyists with little initial investment, and is used in the production of collectible toys, models and figures, as well as small-scale jewellery production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human milk bank</span> Service that collects and dispenses human milk

A human milk bank, breast milk bank or lactarium is a service that collects, screens, processes, pasteurizes, and dispenses by prescription human milk donated by nursing mothers who are not biologically related to the recipient infant. The optimum nutrition for newborn infants is breast milk for at least the first 6 months of life. For women who are unable to breast feed or produce enough milk, pasteurized donor breast milk may be an effective approach to feeding. Breast milk supplied by a woman other than the baby's mother that is not pasteurized and informal breast milk sharing is associated with a risk of transmitting bacteria and viruses from the donor mother to the baby and is not considered a safe alternative. If pasteurized donor breast milk is not available, commercial formula is suggested as a second alternative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medieval jewelry</span>

The Middle Ages was a period that spanned approximately 1000 years and is normally restricted to Europe and the Byzantine Empire. The material remains we have from that time, including jewelry, can vary greatly depending on the place and time of their creation, especially as Christianity discouraged the burial of jewellery as grave goods, except for royalty and important clerics, who were often buried in their best clothes and wearing jewels. The main material used for jewellery design in antiquity and leading into the Middle Ages was gold. Many different techniques were used to create working surfaces and add decoration to those surfaces to produce the jewellery, including soldering, plating and gilding, repoussé, chasing, inlay, enamelling, filigree and granulation, stamping, striking and casting. Major stylistic phases include barbarian, Byzantine, Carolingian and Ottonian, Viking, and the Late Middle Ages, when Western European styles became relatively similar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acrylic embedment</span>

Acrylic embedment is a process of encapsulating various objects into lucite. The process is used for preserving specimens, encapsulating electronics, and making decorative items such as trophies and jewelry.

Victorian jewellery originated in England. Victorian jewellery was produced during the reign of Queen Victoria, whose reign lasted from 1837 to 1901. Queen Victoria was an influential figure who established the different trends in Victorian jewellery. The amount of jewellery acquired throughout the Victorian era established a person’s identity and status. Within the Victorian period, jewellery consisted of a diverse variety of styles and fashions. These periods can be categorised into three distinct timeframes: The Romantic period, the Grand period and the Aesthetic period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemenite silversmithing</span> Silvercraft of the Jews of Yemen

Yemenite silversmithing refers to the work of Jewish silversmiths from Yemen. They were highly acclaimed craftsmen who dominated craft production in precious metals in the southern Arabian peninsula from at least the 18th through the mid-20th century, a period and region during which Muslims did not engage in this work. These Yemenite silversmiths were noted for their skilled use of fine granulation and filigree, producing ornaments such as women's bracelets, necklaces, finials, as well as elaborate scabbard sheaths for men's daggers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish jewellery</span>

Scottish jewellery is jewellery created in Scotland or in a style associated with Scotland, which today often takes the form of the Celtic style. It is often characterised by being inspired by nature, Scandinavian mythology, and Celtic knot patterns. Jewellery has a history in Scotland dating back to at least the Iron Age.

Breastmilk medicine refers to the non-nutritional usage of human breast milk (HBM) as a medicine or therapy to cure diseases. Breastmilk is perceived as an important food that provides essential nutrition to infants. It also provides protection in terms of immunity by direct transfer of antibodies from mothers to infants. The immunity developed via this mean protects infants from diseases such as respiratory diseases, middle ear infections, and gastrointestinal diseases. HBM can also produce lifelong positive therapeutic effects on a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, obesity, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmunity, and asthma.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lock of Baby's Hair, First Tooth… Breast Milk?". NBC New York. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  2. Wang, Yue (11 April 2013). "Breast-Milk Jewelry: The Must-Have Mommy Memento". Time . Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  3. "Complaints about Rhode Island breast milk jewelry firm". The Washington Times . 20 July 2015. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  4. "Mom's newest bling: breast milk jewelry". TODAY.com . 18 April 2013. Retrieved 2020-01-11.
  5. "How Breast Milk Jewelry is Made". milkandmoments.com. 20 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  6. "The Significance of Breastmilk Jewelry". milkandmoments.com. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
  7. "Keepsake Jewelry-A Lasting Tribute". milkandmoments.com. 2023-11-09. Retrieved 2023-11-09.