Team eCommerce Next interviewed Anna Thachuk from KeepsakeMom to get more insights on jewelry created from a mother’s breast milk. Following is our interview with him:
What is breastmilk jewelry, and why do people buy it?
Breastmilk jewelry is made with stones created from a mother’s breast milk. People love it because It’s the most personalized piece of jewelry you can imagine—since every mother’s milk is different, every piece of jewelry we make is completely unique. We create rings, necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, and each piece is a memento of the amazing connection a mother forms with her child. It’s a beautiful keepsake of such a special time, and it also makes a wonderful gift.
How did you get into making breastmilk jewelry?
I’ve loved sparkly things ever since I can remember, and I used to play with my own mom’s costume jewelry all the time. I continued being drawn to jewelry as an adult and eventually started making pieces for myself.
Then seven years ago, I discovered breastmilk jewelry while I was breastfeeding our second child. I started doing some research and trying out different ways of making stones out of my own breast milk. Eventually, I came up with an effective way to turn my milk into powder and mix it with acrylic resin in order to create beautiful breastmilk stones.
I loved it because it helped me commemorate the journey I went through with each of my children, encompassing all the joy as well as the challenges. Having breastfed three babies of my own, I’ve experienced firsthand the indescribable bond that breastfeeding creates—and the significance that breastfeeding can have for the family as a whole. Creating breastmilk jewelry seemed like the ideal way to combine my interest in jewelry with celebrating that special journey for others.
How exactly do you make someone’s breast milk into jewelry?
Making breast milk into jewelry is a blend of artistry and technique that we’ve perfected through a meticulous process of trial and error. Through a proprietary curing process, we preserve each mother’s breast milk as a powder, then mix it with a clear acrylic resin that we shape into customized stones using special silicone molds. From there, we place the stones into whatever setting the customer has chosen in order to make a completely personalized piece of jewelry to be treasured forever.
We can even incorporate additional elements to customize the piece even further—including colors, metallic flakes, names or handprints, and even special powders to make the stones look like pearls or opals. The possibilities are truly beyond what I ever could have imagined when I first started out.
How long have you been making breastmilk jewelry, and how have you expanded to keep up with your success?
I’ve been making breastmilk jewelry commercially now for over three years through KeepsakeMom. It’s been incredible, and I’m so grateful to be doing something I’m passionate about.
Every piece is handcrafted, and, as I mentioned, I first started out by making breastmilk jewelry for myself. Then I started making pieces for friends. As word spread, and more and more people began asking, we started offering set product lines of pendants, rings, earrings, and bracelets to keep up with demand. The response has been overwhelming, and it’s been so rewarding to create something so meaningful for all our customers worldwide.
But even though our business has continued to grow, we pride ourselves on customizing each and every breastmilk stone we create. And even now, one of our most popular pieces is actually still my original design—a pendant in a simple teardrop shape, with gold flakes added for just the right amount of shimmer.
Do people ever think the idea of breastmilk jewelry is strange? What do you say to them?
Yes, some people definitely find it odd, which we totally understand. In fact, when people hear about breastmilk jewelry for the first time, they either love it right away, or think that it’s weird or even kind of gross. We recognize that it may not be for everyone—it’s such a personal thing, just like the process of breastfeeding itself. But for those who are drawn to it, it’s a one-of-a-kind way to capture a short-lived experience and celebrate a lasting bond between mother and child. Some people actually warm up to the idea once they learn more about how it’s made and how meaningful it can be. And due to our exclusive curing process, it’s just as hygienic—and as beautiful!—as any other piece of jewelry.
Why do you think your pieces have struck such a chord with breastfeeding moms and their loved ones?
I think they see what we see—that breastmilk jewelry is a beautiful way to commemorate an irreplaceable time in every nursing mother’s journey. Because breastfeeding is so specific to each mother and child, we pride ourselves on making pieces that truly honor that individuality. And we’ve been incredibly moved that so many people feel the same way. In fact, even though most of our customers are breastfeeding mothers, close to half are actually their loved ones: partners, parents, and friends.
About KeepsakeMom
Jewelry celebrating motherhood and baby keepsakes are nothing new, from locks of hair and lost teeth to baby blankets and first shoes.
Breastmilk jewelry is a keepsake such as this, symbolic of the closeness and intimacy of the breastfeeding bond between mother and child, and a celebration of the amazing feat that you’ve accomplished.
Whether it’s a gift from a husband to a wife, mother to mother, mother to child, or as a memento of a lost life, our breastmilk jewelry treasures cement a time that will too soon pass. At KeepsakeMom, our goal is to create unique and personal pieces, beautiful symbols of an even more beautiful experience, that you will have and cherish for the rest of your life, and that you can pass down to your children.
About Founder Anna Thachuk
KeepsakeMom founder Anna Thachuk, a medical school graduate and mother of three who emigrated from Ukraine, has spent the past three years, commercially, handcrafting unique, sentimental pieces of jewelry made from mothers’ breastmilk. Inspired by her own personal experience as a breastfeeding mother, combined with her love of jewelry-making, Anna has developed a beautiful collection of necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings and beads that commemorate the blissful bonding experience of breastfeeding.
With a deep appreciation for the excitement of expectant mothers, and the joy of witnessing the development of babies, Anna’s career in medicine naturally gravitated towards ultrasound. A mother herself, she understood the tremendous value of breast milk, the unbreakable connection it fostered with her children and the devastating impact of a diminishing supply. Leveraging 15-years of jewelry-making for herself, friends and family, Anna turned to the art of breastmilk curing to create stunning pieces of wearable art that celebrate this precious stage of motherhood.
Anna tried various techniques to neutralize her breast milk, mixing and casting her dried milk with acrylic resin to create breastmilk stones. Through trial and error, she eventually perfected the science of breastmilk curing – which served as the starting point for her commercial breastmilk jewelry line. During her learning process, Anna experienced the devastating reality of her breastmilk supply diminishing practically overnight. After considerable anxiety about no longer being able to breastfeed, with a baby refusing to take a bottle, Anna was fortunate to experience a restored supply with the help of medicine. The experience reinforced her understanding of the immense value of breastmilk and the immeasurable bond it establishes between mother and child. Today, she is committed to preserving the memories of this sweet stage of motherhood through KeepsakeMom.