Breast milk jewelry

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Breast milk jewelry is jewelry 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. Pendants may include custom background colors, children's names and be made in many shape choices. 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. Generally, the filled shapes are trees, leaves, or hearts representing love and life.

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. 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. The long waits for order fulfillment have caused online speculation about the practice, even gaining media attention.

Video Breast milk jewelry

History

Breast milk jewelry was first recognized in the media on April 8, 2013 by Daily Mail UK in an article referencing "How jewelry made from breast milk has become an unlikely trend among new mothers (but is it adorable or gross?)" The very first piece designed and sold online is unknown, but it is believed that breast milk jewelry came to market on the internet in 2012.

Maps Breast milk jewelry

The 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. In some methods it's believed 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 mediums, forming and curing take place after a period of drying and/or curing with the medium mixes. Coating, pouring, or mixing the preserved milk into resin is believed to be the final step.

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Notable controversies

The actual use of breast milk is unknown

Some of the controversial speculation surrounding breast milk jewelry is due to secrecy of the preservation process used by creators, it is regarded as a trade secret. Because of its highly guarded process it is unknown if actual breast milk is used. The full process has never been officially recorded or documented leaving no proof to the actual use of breast milk in such keepsakes. Further more, no independent laboratory certifications or accreditations have been held by any past or present creators of breast milk jewelry. If breast milk is used it's unknown any reported methods will preserve the breast milk from becoming contaminated with growing bacteria over time, breast milk has millions of bacteria and microbes including but not limited to staphylococci, streptococci that may be hard to diminish no matter the technique used.

breast-milk-as-jewelry isn't for every mom

Regardless of the popularity this new type of memento has gained it has also resulted in some controversy.

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References

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Further reading

• Kavita Varma-White. "Mom's newest bling: breast milk jewelry". TODAY.com. 
• "Breast-Milk Jewelry: The Must-Have Mommy Memento". TIME.com. 
• "11 moms complain about Rhode Island breast milk jewelry firm". The Washingtion Times. 
• Lindsey Robertson (4 August 2015). "Mothers create jewelry with breast milk". Mashable. 
• "R.I. Moms Feel Scammed Waiting For Breast Milk Jewelry". The Huffington Post. 

Source of article : Wikipedia