advertisement
Annie's toddler reaches out for the white stone that gleams on the silver chain that she pulls out of her wallet. “That’s my feet,” 2-year-old Jessie says, grinning, as she points at the pendant that bears a miniature image of feet. But there’s a catch – it’s made out of breast milk!
The woman behind these keepsakes, Preethy Vijay, says she chanced upon this idea when someone had suggested it on a mother’s forum. The polymer clay jewellery artist decided to give it a shot. Though a popular concept abroad, it is still quite new for India.
While she turned to the internet for help, Preethy says that she soon found out that "nobody reveals their secrets”. After some thought, she decided to turn to chemistry to decode the perfect formula.
After six months of trial and error, Preethy was ready to take orders. She reveals that she was flooded with requests before she even went public with the project. Her Facebook Page, Mommy’s Milky Love, is full of positive feedback from satisfied customers.
Preethy asks customers to send her 15 ml of milk that can then be designed into a ring, pendant or other keepsakes.
Many of her customers are shy about it, she says. ‘'I had a customer who labelled the courier packet 'Ayurveda medicine’ because she didn't want her family to find out. She was sending it without the knowledge of her family,” says Preethy.
"When my daughter was in my womb, the doctor said she has very pretty feet. So I wanted that image to be in breast milk,” says Annie, adding that she always carries the breast milk pendant that Preethy made for her in her wallet.
A child may outgrow its mother’s lap, but never her heart. Several mothers are flocking to Preethy and other jewellery designers for such keepsakes, so that they can immortalise the moments they’ve shared with their child, even after the little ones leave the nest one day.
Cameraperson: Smitha TK
Video Editor: Kunal
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: 10 Nov 2017,12:37 PM IST