We’re now taking orders for them again, but if you’re thinking about making your own breastmilk jewellery then we can definitely help too! You can order all the tools and supplies you’ll need over on my other business Keepsaker Supplies (click here).
Here’s a video showing you how to preserve your own breastmilk using one of our kits. The preservation powder is used by many professionals in their studios and parents at home alike. You can read the full blog here: Preserving Breastmilk with Milky Mama Magic Dust™
Why Should You Be Making Your Own Breastmilk Jewellery?
Making your own breastmilk jewellery is, of course, a beautiful way to remember your nursing journey and to feel the extra achievement of making your own keepsake
- You might be nervous about sending off your last few drops of milk (although we only ask people to send 5-10ml milk in our sending instructions here)
- Perhaps you worry that the artist you choose might not be using your own milk, or include any breastmilk at all in your piece (this isn’t something I’ve ever encountered in all my years making breastmilk jewellery though…)
- Are you worried your milk might turn yellow if you choose a newer breastmilk jeweller and they haven’t learnt the art of preservation yet?
- The artistic and crafty among you will enjoy this challenge, ideal for anyone who has done gel nails, beading, chocolate or soap making and of course established jewellers
Making Your Own Breastmilk Jewellery to Start A New Business
Five years ago I’d just given birth to Hannah and had decided I didn’t want to go back to retail store management any time soon. I’d always felt like I wanted to make changes and implement things the shop wasn’t ready for and I’d always wanted my own business. I wanted to work from home to be able to be there for my children. I’d tried various MLM’s over the years, including a couple of stints selling “adult” items, which I’d loved because the products weren’t exactly run-of-the-mill… Sadly, I’d lost money in the three MLM or “direct sales” ventures I’d tried. My passion was being involved with menstrual poverty prevention in Tanzania, but I needed something that could provide an income. I started a course on placenta encapsulation.
I’d seen breastmilk jewellery a few years previously, when Ayla was born. I’d contacted the company, saying I’d had a really rough breastfeeding after reduction journey and only had a few ml of expressed milk. The page was a bit dismissive, telling me it wasn’t enough milk and I felt like even more of a failure. When I was pregnant with Hannah, I decided I was going to try it myself if I had enough milk. Luckily, with the support of a couple of great breastfeeding councillors, a peer support group and armed with more knowledge, I was eventually able to breastfeed her exclusively and stop using donor milk.
In my placenta encapsulation group I saw a few people making placenta and breastmilk jewellery pieces so I bought a few supplies to make epoxy resin jewellery. I did hours and hours of research, including watching all the Little Windows videos (use the code KEEPSAKERSAVE15 for 15% off in their shop) and anything I could find on plasticising milk. I had a feeling the trick to it all was separating the proteins (casein) and/or removing the water, but I had no idea where to start. In Making Breastmilk Jewellery Part 1, over on Keepsaker Supplies, I talk a little about the community I found and how it affected my mental health. In Making Breastmilk Jewellery Part 2 I talk about the methods that I tried that definitely didn’t work.
Eventually I found a method using a preservative and some very expensive equipment, and for three years I was able to support my family with the income I received. My mental health really suffered though, mostly because of the other artists, and when I started blogging about making your own breastmilk jewellery here on Tree of Opals I had a huge amount of bullying. One “earthy Mama creator” told me I should go ahead and kill myself (I had already tried) and I lost a lot of so-called friends.
Making Breastmilk Jewellery With Preservation Powder
I left behind the people who had made my life miserable. I stopped making breastmilk jewellery myself; here’s the blog I posted, Why I Stopped Making Breastmilk Jewellery at the end of 2018 explaining my reasons. I saw a cognitive behavioural therapy counsellor and stopped feeling suicidal, and I started focussing on helping others with their jewellery making. I moved the breastmilk jewellery making blogs over to the new Keepsaker Supplies website and set up a community on Facebook called the Breastmilk and Memorial Jewellery Group for professionals.
A few months ago, speaking to my friend Amy, The Breastmilk Queen, we came up with a way for me to be the UK distributor for her Milky Mama Magic Dust™. So now, as well as working on their own breastmilk preservation methods, my customers and community can buy breastmilk jewellery DIY kits or just the powders. The kits are aimed at confident crafters if you want to make something with your own breastmilk, and maybe look to start their own business. If you enjoy making the pieces, you can begin to invest in more professional supplies I sell such as handmade high quality silicone moulds, resin and UV lamps, solid silver findings and settings and our unique resin sparkle mix blends. I use all the supplies myself here on Tree of Opals including the breastmilk preservation powder (which my artists use to create our jewellery without needing lots of equipment.
I really hope my blogs are helpful and please leave a comment below if you have any questions or want to know more about making your own breastmilk jewellery
