Hello! As some of you may know, there is a whole world of memorial jewelry out there. This is a topic that has interested me for a long time, and I wanted to explore some of the different ways people memorialize their loved ones and precious moments into beautiful and often wearable keepsakes.

Memorial jewelry refers to the many ways people throughout the world and history have preserved physical reminders of people, events, and more. For example, during Victorian times it was common to take the hair of a loved one (a lock) and incorporate it into a jewelry piece to wear as a reminder of that individual.

One specific type of memorial jewelry I want to talk about is breast milk gemstones. This is a more recent trend that emerged along with the popularity of resin where mothers and others who have had children have some of their breast milk turned into a “gemstone” that is often added to a necklace, ring, or other types of jewelry. For many people, this can be a reminder of a very intimate and special time in the life of a child, especially in their relationship with the breastfeeding parent. These jewelry pieces are also very popular with those who have experienced the tragedy of a miscarriage, stillbirth, or death of a breastfeeding infant. They are also being used as symbols to support and celebrate breastfeeding.

These stones are made by many independent artists, most notably on Etsy, and are created by adding special chemicals to the milk to dehydrate it. The dehydrated milk is crushed into powder and mixed into resin and after hardening, can be added to jewelry like any other gemstone.

This concept seems so incredibly beautiful to me and I am really glad for the chance to share it. Here are some photos of breast milk jewelry, courtesy of KeepsakeMom.com.