Believe it or not, your breast milk can be made into jewellery
Article by Cherlynn Ng
Parents are probably no stranger to the benefits of breast milk and how it is superior to formula. Not only does breast milk contain antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria, it also gives them a robust immune system and reduces the risk of suffering from allergies.
But do you know that you can also preserve your breast milk and turn them into jewellery?
Some mothers see the unusual souvenir as something that symbolises the hardship and sacrifices they go through while raising a child. Others want to immortalise the experience of nursing, especially with kids growing up so quickly.
According to The Business Times, this popular trend of transforming breast milk into stylish accessories and charms started around seven years ago as international artists on e-commerce site Etsy began selling such products. In recent years, craft-savvy mums here have been picking up techniques on preserving breast milk — both their own and from fellow mummies.
Keepsake By Ryo is a family-run business in Singapore that offers such services. Customers send over 20ml of their breast milk, wait a few months, and it comes back to them as jewellery. Parents may also choose to immortalise locks of your baby’s hair, pet and even umbilical cords.
The business was founded in February 2016 by Singaporean mother Ryo Goh, who wanted to commemorate the trials and tribulations of her personal breastfeeding journey. The 27-year-old entrepreneur lovingly designs and handcrafts all her jewellery, ensuring that each and every piece is both authentic and unique.
Ryo’s journey has not always been a bed of roses, however. Countless sleepless nights and months of experimentation were devoted to finding the perfect recipe for preserving and solidifying her own breast milk. Despite a rocky start and low sales numbers initially, Ryo now completes an average of 400 pieces of jewellery a month.
Still, her job remains a challenging one, especially with the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
Speaking to Confinement Angels, Ryo said: “This is a challenge we’re trying to tide through at the moment. As a small business, our processes are extremely lean and we depend on all our international suppliers from countries like the USA, Europe, Japan, China and Hong Kong to fulfill and deliver our materials on time. With tighter border controls and all the recent measures rolled out to contain the coronavirus, our typical work schedule has really been derailed. We’ve been troubleshooting since February and it’s definitely a challenging time. I’m sure we’re not alone though! Three cheers to all the business owners out there!”
But for Ryo, the ups far outshine the difficult times. Sharing what the best part of her job is, Ryo said it is feeling appreciated by fellow mothers.
She added: “It’s truly back-breaking work. Each piece of keepsake is handmade with (literally) blood, sweat and tears, so it’s really heartwarming when fellow mums take time to tell me how much they appreciate my work!”
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