<p>A J P Nagar resident is making jewellery out of breast milk and marketing it on social media.</p>.<p>Namitha Naveen launched a line of jewellery keepsakes that also uses hair, nails, milk teeth and even the umbilical cord. She calls it Mumma’s Milkytale.</p>.<p>A mother of two, Namitha wanted to make a keepsake for herself after her son was born. “When I was breastfeeding him, I got the idea of making jewellery out of mother’s milk. I have an MSc in biotechnology, and it took me eight months to come up with a formula to preserve the milk,” she told <span class="italic">Metrolife</span>.</p>.<p>When she realised the concept was new to Bengalureans, she decided to launch her own business in 2019.</p>.<p>Some love the idea, while others find it bizarre. “We get at least 50 inquiries every day. Only one to two of them turn into orders,” she says.</p>.<p>The process of crafting a piece of jewellery takes her about a week, after she gets the material from her customers.</p>.<p>“Once I get the sample, I cure and dry it to turn it into powder. I add a variety of chemicals and toxins to kill off the bacteria and preserve it. I then put the cured samples in moulds requested by the customer,” she explains.</p>.<p>She has seen an increase in demand for jewellery made out of the umbilical cord, known to have spiritual significance in Indian culture.</p>.<p>“We either crush it and add it to the jewellery or we make pendants where a piece of the umbilical cord is floating in a glass ball. The curing process is similar for this as well,” she says.</p>.<p>As every sample of breast milk or human DNA is different, each product is unique in its own way, she says.</p>.<p>Namitha runs her business mainly through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and currently has close to 10,000 followers. A customised keepsake is priced between Rs 1,300 and Rs 3,500, and it is made with silver and coated with gold. </p>.<p>“These are basically mementoes for parents. For nursing mothers, it is a way to celebrate their breastfeeding journey. It shows their emotional and physical bond,” she says. Namitha can be contacted on @Mumma’s Milkytale on Facebook and Instagram.</p>
<p>A J P Nagar resident is making jewellery out of breast milk and marketing it on social media.</p>.<p>Namitha Naveen launched a line of jewellery keepsakes that also uses hair, nails, milk teeth and even the umbilical cord. She calls it Mumma’s Milkytale.</p>.<p>A mother of two, Namitha wanted to make a keepsake for herself after her son was born. “When I was breastfeeding him, I got the idea of making jewellery out of mother’s milk. I have an MSc in biotechnology, and it took me eight months to come up with a formula to preserve the milk,” she told <span class="italic">Metrolife</span>.</p>.<p>When she realised the concept was new to Bengalureans, she decided to launch her own business in 2019.</p>.<p>Some love the idea, while others find it bizarre. “We get at least 50 inquiries every day. Only one to two of them turn into orders,” she says.</p>.<p>The process of crafting a piece of jewellery takes her about a week, after she gets the material from her customers.</p>.<p>“Once I get the sample, I cure and dry it to turn it into powder. I add a variety of chemicals and toxins to kill off the bacteria and preserve it. I then put the cured samples in moulds requested by the customer,” she explains.</p>.<p>She has seen an increase in demand for jewellery made out of the umbilical cord, known to have spiritual significance in Indian culture.</p>.<p>“We either crush it and add it to the jewellery or we make pendants where a piece of the umbilical cord is floating in a glass ball. The curing process is similar for this as well,” she says.</p>.<p>As every sample of breast milk or human DNA is different, each product is unique in its own way, she says.</p>.<p>Namitha runs her business mainly through social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, and currently has close to 10,000 followers. A customised keepsake is priced between Rs 1,300 and Rs 3,500, and it is made with silver and coated with gold. </p>.<p>“These are basically mementoes for parents. For nursing mothers, it is a way to celebrate their breastfeeding journey. It shows their emotional and physical bond,” she says. Namitha can be contacted on @Mumma’s Milkytale on Facebook and Instagram.</p>