For many mums, their breastmilk is an amazing thing.
So one mum saw an opportunity to create sentimental pieces of jewellery made from the wonder liquid.
Mum-of-two Ann Marie Sharoupim from New Jersey in the US, sells a range of sterling silver earrings, rings, bracelets and necklaces inset with milky, pearly stones made from breastmilk on her website Mammas Liquid Love.
Customers simply choose the pieces they want, and send Ann Marie their breastmilk to be transformed into solid ‘stone’ and set in the jewellery. They are required to send 1-1.5 ounces of the milk for 2-3 pieces and the milk must be shipped in a special breastmilk storage container or bag.
Anne Marie then uses a proprietary process to preserve the milk in resin, creating the ‘stones’. And as no breastmilk is the same, each piece of jewellery is its own unique colour varying from milky white to a buttery yellow.
“They want to preserve the sweetest, closest moments they had with their little ones,” says Sharoupim. “It is jewellery that is very special to a mother. It commemorates her nursing journey and serves as a reminder of her selfless gift.”
Anne Marie’s inspiration for her unusual business came from a very personal place. She suffered from post-partum depression after the birth of her daughter Rebecca and found breastfeeding extremely difficult.
“I struggled tremendously with nursing,” she says. “It took me 3 weeks of pumping 8 times daily for at least 20 minutes and feeding on demand to finally make enough milk for her.
“It was incredibly stressful and draining especially for a mother that was experiencing post-partum depression. As it turns out, Rebecca had an undiagnosed lip and tongue tie and fed for hours.”
And when she nursed her second daughter Gabriella, she was unfortunately unable to produce enough milk.
“I was unable to produce enough milk for Gabriella, and used donor milk,” she says. “As a symbol of my appreciation to my generous donor, I created a pendant for her. Her gratitude and joy after receiving her pendant from me, inspired me to create Mamma's Liquid Love.”
Would you consider immortalising your breastmilk in a piece of jewellery? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this!
