Many moms have keepsakes from when their children were young. It’s not unusual for a mom to tape a piece of hair from her baby’s first haircut into a scrapbook, and hold onto some old baby outfits.
This newest trend might seem a little out there for some though. Now moms can preserve their baby’s umbilical cord stump for one-of-a-kind jewelry. Some love this idea and others think it’s a little… odd. What do you think of this new trend?
First, a quick science lesson.
The umbilical cord provides the baby with oxygen-rich blood in the womb.
After birth, the cord is clamped and cut. Some parents opt to preserve the cord in a cord bank or donate the cord for research.
After the cord has been cut, the a small stump remains attached to the newborn.
This small piece of umbilical cord dries out. Parents have to be careful to keep the stump clean and dry during this time. After a week or so, it will eventually fall off.
Once the stump falls off, parents have a few options.
Some throw the stump away. Others might not even notice that the stump has fallen off until later, and by that point, it is long gone.
Some parents, however, do hang onto the stump in a keepsake box.
Now there’s a new option for parents who want to hold onto the stump.
A number of jewelry companies are offering umbilical cord stump jewelry as a keepsake for moms. There are a ton of options when it comes to this new trend.
Here’s how it works.
If you’re interested in ordering one of these keepsakes, here’s how jewelry designer Ruth Avra makes them.
The first step is contacting Ruth and sending her the umbilical stump once you’ve placed your order.
The umbilical stump is traced onto a wax mold.
It’s amazing how all the details and textures are carved into the wax. A lot of work goes into these unique keepsakes.
Next, the outer shape is cut out.
Ruth will cast the pieces in sterling silver, or gold if it is requested by the client. Btw, each piece takes about four-six weeks to make!
Once the shape is cut out, the wax is filed down.
Now this custom piece is ready for casting! Some moms choose to keep it simple with a sterling silver cast of the umbilical stump.
Others will opt to include the preserved stump in resin with a sterling silver backing to the pendant or accessory.
Here’s one piece in progress that has the stump preserved in resin.
It takes a few layers of resin to fully coat and preserve the stump in a piece. It’s pretty cool to see them in progress though!
The final product.
It actually looks kind of cool. If I didn’t know there was an umbilical stump in this piece, I would just think it is a regular amber necklace.
This sterling silver necklace was made from a cast of the umbilical stump.
This is another design option available to moms. It’s safe to say that this trend is taking off and we’ll see more jewelry designers selling pieces like this on Etsy.
Some moms ask for pieces made with stumps from all their children.
This is a bracelet with two stump accents — one from the client’s son and the other from her daughter. It’s a pretty cool way to carry around a piece of your children wherever you go.
A pendant for each child.
Here’s another keepsake with the cords from the client’s three children.
Moms will stay in touch with Ruth for years and keep ordering custom pieces as their family grows.
Close to mom’s heart.
These keepsakes are also significant for mothers who lost their children in the womb or in the first few weeks of life.
For these moms, preserving the umbilical stump in jewelry is a way to remember their baby forever.
If you aren’t interested in preserving your child’s umbilical stump, there are other options.
Milk + Honey Breastmilk Jewely can also turn the placenta into a one-of-a-kind keepsake jewelry piece. If you chose to encapsulate your placenta, this is an option for you!
And of course, there is the classic breastmilk jewelry.
Perhaps this is the accessory that started it all. Breastmilk jewelry has been around for a while but is still a popular keepsake for moms. I must say, I thought these were pearls at first. Gorgeous!
