Moms immortalize their breast milk into jewelry

Move over, baby teeth keepsakes, placenta art and umbilical cord dreamcatchers. Mothers have found a new way to honor the milestones of their children's lives. They're turning their breast milk into jewelry.

While it's not for everyone, breast milk jewelry is seen by some as a modern twist on bronzing your baby's first pair of shoes, said Rebecca Michals, director of global community at parenting website BabyCenter.

Directions can be found on Pinterest, but there are many websites that make the jewelry, too. A search for "breast milk jewelry" on Etsy turned up nearly 70 vendors willing to make keepsakes out of a mother's milk.

Etsy prohibits the sale of breast milk products, but vendors are able to sell the products on their own websites. Jewelry at breastmilkjewelry.com ranges from $97 for a pendant to $337 for a ring.

Kathleen Lyndgaard sent a few tablespoons of her breast milk to a company in Kansas called Indigo Willow. Two months later, she received a pendant.

"It's really beautiful and something I'll treasure forever," the Crystal mother of two said. "I'm still breast-feeding my son, but I imagine once I'm done, it will be especially sentimental for me. I also like that I can wear a pretty piece of jewelry and discreetly show my passion for breast-feeding at the same time."

Aimee Blanchette • 612-673-1715