Click any of the links below to be taken to each question.
1. What is your current turn-around time?
2. Can I skip ahead in line if I need something from you sooner?
3. Why do you start your turn-around time from the time you receive my breast milk and not from the time I place my order?
4. Where are you located?
5. How much breast milk do you need for one of your designs?
6. What exactly is breast milk jewelry?
7. I've seen breast milk jewelry that goes bad and spoils over time. Does the breast milk jewelry you create change color over time?
8. How will I ship my breast milk to you? Will you give me instructions?
9. Does my breast milk need to be frozen or kept cool on its way to you?
10. Are you pretty organized with your customers' breast milk? I am paranoid that I'll get a piece of jewelry that isn't from my own milk!
11. I've had breast milk frozen for several years and I'm sure it's probably gone bad in the freezer. Can you still use this for breast milk jewelry?
12. Do you take international orders? If so, how do I ship my breast milk to you?
13. How long does the average order take to get to the UK once completed? To Canada? To Germany?
14. How is the milk solidified to make jewelry?
15. How much does it cost to ship my breast milk to you?
16. Is it legal to ship breast milk using the postal service?
17. Do you have a refunds and cancellation policy?
18. What is your official guarantee and policy on repairing your jewelry?
19. Is there a time limit on how long I can wait to send my breast milk or material to you? What happens if I wait to send my milk to you and my setting is discontinued or no longer available?
20. I have a design idea or existing pendant I'd love for you to use. Can you do custom orders?
21. have such a low milk supply. Can you use less than 2 TBSP (30 mL) for a breast milk ring or pendant?
22. Do you have any suggestions for increasing breast milk supply so I can send you the needed amount?
23. How durable are your jewelry pieces? Can I shower, swim, or wash my hands with them on?
General Questions:
What is your turn-around time?
Our current turn-around time really depends on how many customers I have ahead of you in my queue. I work on jewelry pieces in the order I receive the breast milk and holidays/busy times like Mother's Day, World Breastfeeding Week, and Christmas will see a longer wait time. I custom-make each and every breast milk stone and DNA inclusion stone for our jewelry myself, and really do take the time to make sure each and every customer receives the highest-quality piece possible.
As of 4/23/23 Current turn-around time is ***estimated*** between 4 and 24 weeks from the time I receive your breast milk, though some orders can take more or less time to make. If you need a jewelry piece sooner due to a special occasion or holiday, please see question 2 below! If you have questions on why I start my wait time from the time I receive a person's breast milk or DNA inclusion and not from the time an order is placed, please see question 3 below. :)
The current projected wait time is 4 and 34 weeks ***roughly*** (as of 1/4/24). Please understand that I absolutely cannot guarantee a wait time, however, so keep in mind that these are just estimates and this is subject to change depending on the amount of orders I have in my queue at the time your breast milk is received. There are certain items that might fall outside of this timeline, as well and may be impacted by shipping delays. If you are ordering during a high-volume time (see below for holidays listed), our wait times may also increase from what was estimated at the time of your purchase. The sooner you are able to mail us your inclusion(s), the sooner you will receive your jewelry.
I do try to keep this wait time as accurate as possible, and the wait time can vary greatly depending on sales, promotions, and a large influx of orders at one time. Wait times will be increased after certain holidays/celebrations including Mother's Day (the month leading up to Mother's Day, as well. Mother's Day in 2023 is May 14th, 2023), World Breastfeeding Week, Black Friday, and the months leading up to the Christmas Holidays, as we typically get a larger influx of orders and mothers mailing their breast milk to us at these times.
For non-breast milk jewelry pieces, the average turn-around time is currently 8 weeks from the date that I receive the materials needed for your order. If you order a breast milk jewelry piece and a non-breast milk jewelry piece together, your non-breast milk jewelry piece will be shipped along with your breast milk jewelry when it is completed unless you request to purchase extra shipping for shipping two pieces out to you separately.
Can I skip ahead in line if I need something sooner from you?
In most cases, yes, you can! :) I offer the option to skip ahead of the queue if you need a keepsake created in time for a birthday, anniversary, wedding, Mother's Day, Christmas, etc. I have many jewelry pieces available for Super Rush. To find out which pieces are available for Super Rush, please go to the Super Rush product page. https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/super-rush-delivery-highest-priority/.
About Super Rush
The highest-priority is Super-Rush order. With this option, you have the guarantee that your breast milk jewelry will be started as soon as possible (usually upon receiving your breast milk). Depending on the piece, the average turn-around time for this is 3-14 days. Some pieces may take a little outside of this timeline, but this not typical. If purchasing Super Rush, I will begin the process for making your jewelry as soon as your milk or DNA material arrives.
Super-Rush processing can be found here: https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/super-rush-delivery-highest-priority/. It is recommended that you choose Express shipping at checkout in order to receive your jewelry quicker if you need something as soon as possible. All of our orders come with Priority shipping included, with arrival time ranging from 2-5 days in the continental US depending on where you are located in the country and the time of year you're ordering (Christmas often comes with shipping delays, even with Priority shipping).
Please note that Super Rush will depend on stock-levels of items ordered, as well. I do keep most items in stock, but if an item is in particularly high-demand (it will be noted on the product page), then it may take longer to arrive to you.
Please keep in mind that I will ship your jewelry piece to you according to the shipping preferences that you choose at checkout. If you need something Express-shipped to you (and you live in the US), please select this at checkout.
I can Super Rush any jewelry piece on the Super Rush page, however, there are certain pieces that will have a much quicker turn-around time and are easiest to Super Rush. https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/super-rush-delivery-highest-priority/
The pieces that are easiest to Super Rush are:
What about rings? Can you Super Rush rings?
I may or may not have any rings you order in-stock, so if you would like to order a ring and absolutely need this by a certain date, please write us to see if we have it in stock. To Purchase Super Rush, please go to this link and select the jewelry piece you'd like to order. https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/super-rush-delivery-highest-priority/
Why do you start your turn-around time from the time you receive my breast milk and not from the time I place my order?
The main reason I do this is that it is the most fair way I know to add people to my queue. Some mothers send me their breast milk right away, while others wait weeks or even months before they send me their breast milk. For example, if a mother orders in January and sends me her breast milk in March, her order will not be made before the person who sent me their breast milk in February.
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Where are you located?
I am located in South Carolina, USA. I accept customers worldwide!
Breast Milk Pendants and Jewelry Questions:
How much breast milk do you need for one of your designs?
I have perfected my breast milk jewelry technique so that I only require a very small amount of breastmilk to make a piece of jewelry, usually 2 Tablespoons (30 mL) of breast milk. For each additional breast milk item you'd like I need an additional 2 TBSP of milk. ***Note: Please do not send all of your milk or ashes, as sometimes packages are lost in the mail.***
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What exactly is breast milk jewelry?
Breast milk jewelry is jewelry made using a mother's own breast milk to commemorate her nursing journey. It gives her a tangible reminder of the time they spent nursing and bonding with her little ones.
I've also made breast milk jewelry pieces for surrogate and birth mothers, milk donors, and family members of a nursing mother, as well, to honor their contribution to a family's life.
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Does your breast milk jewelry change color over time?
The great thing about my breast milk jewelry is that it does NOT yellow or change color over time. When ordering from me, you can be sure that your breast milk jewelry will retain its color for as long as you have the piece, as long as your jewelry is stored properly, kept out of the sun, and not exposed to chemicals or oils in perfumes, lotions, and soaps. Our breast milk jewelry will not disintegrate in water, go moldy, or change color over time (unlike some others). We guarantee your jewelry's stone will remain as beautiful as the day you received it if treated well. Please see our official guarantee policy below for more details.
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How will I ship my breast milk to you? Will you give me instructions?
Once you place your order, a link to full and detailed instructions on how and where to ship your breast milk will be prominently displayed on your order confirmation page just above your order number. You will also receive an automated e-mail with the same link to the instructions in case you missed them on the order confirmation page or are ordering while mobile.
Your breast milk can be easily shipped using a small box or padded envelope. Breast milk storage bags work great for shipping as they rarely leak in-transit, but if you don't have those, high-quality freezer bags work, as well. Only 30mL (1 ounce) of breast milk is needed per jewelry piece. There are additional instructions, but this is the gist of the shipping details.
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Does my breast milk need to be frozen or kept cool on its way to you?
For my purposes, no. Breast milk actually has amazing properties that allow it not to spoil very quickly. With that said, since no one will be consuming the milk, we are not worried about spoiling at all.
If you choose to, you can certainly use breast milk that has been previously frozen. Just make sure that it is completely thawed before shipping to me. Condensation from the outside of your frozen breast milk can cause your package to rip in-transit.
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Are you pretty organized with your customers' breast milk? I am paranoid that I'll get a piece of jewelry that isn't from my own milk!
No worries!! We are extremely organized! I was a Registered Nurse before I decided to stay at home with my little one and I know the importance of keeping things sorted properly! You could say I got used to a stringent level of organization. :)
Upon arrival, your breast milk is removed from the package along with the customer form that you send with your milk (you receive the form in your e-mail after checkout). We double check your order number, name, and the items ordered at that time. Your milk is then added to a sterile container, and we print a label for your container of milk with your name, order number, the item ordered, and the date your breast milk was received. Your breast milk is naturally preserved at this time for use later and then it is stored alphabetically by last name. I never work with more than one person's milk at a time!
I've had breast milk frozen for several years and I'm sure it's probably gone bad in the freezer. Can you still use this for breast milk jewelry?
Yes, I can still make breast milk jewelry from breast milk that has been frozen for years. This doesn't affect my process. The oldest breast milk I've ever worked with was frozen for 18 years, and the mother's jewelry turned out beautifully!
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Do you take international orders? If so, how do I ship my breast milk to you?
I accept orders worldwide and serviced people as far as Singapore and Malaysia. Instructions for specifics on shipping your breast milk will be provided to you after you purchase your breast milk jewelry. Your breast milk should be shipped via regular Airmail. I strongly encourage moms to use their local post office for shipping breast milk to me and to be sure that whichever way they choose to ship, that they choose a service with tracking information included and not added on.
There aren't any restrictions on shipping human milk internationally (only cows' and goats' milk are prohibited). To be on the safe side, omit the information that your package contains breast milk. You're not shipping anything dangerous or biohazardous, so simply mark your customs form as a gift and check a box unrelated to the contents of your package.
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How long does the average order take to get to the UK once completed? To Canada? To Germany?
The UK: It takes anywhere from 8-12 days to get from my location in KS, USA to most places in the UK depending on how remote your location is. The average is about 10 days.
Canada: It takes about a week for most shipments to reach my customers in Canada.
Europe main-land: It takes about 12 days on average for a shipment to reach my customers in most places in Europe.
Far East --Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.-- : The average is 15-18 days, but depending on your specific location and how remote you are, it can take a few days longer.
Australia: Average is about 10-15 days from the time I ship but I've seen packages delivered in as little as 8 days.
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How is the milk solidified to make jewelry?
It took me almost a year to figure this out! What I *can* tell you is that your breast milk is naturally preserved and hardened to form whatever I need to make your breast milk jewelry. My proprietary method is unlike anything anyone else is doing! Your breast milk jewelry will not disintegrate or change color over time (unlike some others) when treated properly.
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How much does it cost to ship my breast milk to you?
Since no special handling is required for shipping your breast milk to me, it should be quite inexpensive for you. Shipping costs vary depending on package size and weight of the package, but generally speaking, in the US it costs roughly $8 to ship breast milk using Priority shipping (the preferred method for shipping). Shipping from outside of the US varies depending on country.
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Is it legal to ship breast milk using the postal service?
Yes, absolutely! Breast milk is permitted in post provided you package it correctly. In the United States there are no special rules regarding the shipment of breast milk. If you are outside of the US you will be given detailed instructions on how and where to send your breast milk.
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Do you have a refunds and cancellation policy?
You may cancel your entire order with a partial refund within 5 days after purchase if you have not already sent your breast milk to me. Our payment processing merchant no longer refunds fees, therefore you will receive a refund minus the payment processing fees.
Once I receive your breast milk, it is naturally preserved and I order the pieces required to make your custom piece of jewelry for you. If you would like to cancel your order after you've already sent your milk, you may do so within 90 days from purchase for a fee of 15% of the purchase price (my time and materials used for preservation do factor into this percentage). After 90 days, no refund will be issued.
If you decide to cancel your order and I have begun making your breast milk jewelry, you may receive a 40% refund, and no preserved breast milk pieces will be sent to you. If you decide to cancel your order after I have completed your piece of jewelry, no refund will be issued. I can either ship your breast milk jewelry to you or dispose of it for you.
I will not refund if your order was shipped to an incorrect address. Customers are expected to enter a correct shipping address at checkout, so please try to have your correct address on-hand when checking out. I do my very best to update shipping addresses for customers if they've moved, but cannot refund for incorrect shipments based on a new address.
Please note: If you do decide to cancel your order and you have sent your milk to me, your milk will not be returned to you. Upon receiving your milk it is naturally preserved, but it is not safe for consumption, so we cannot return breast milk for liability reasons.
Our pieces are custom-made, and the process for each and every breast milk jewelry piece is tedious and time-consuming, therefore we cannot issue refunds on a completed jewelry piece if a customer orders an incorrect piece on behalf of his or her loved one.
For more information about refunds for completed pieces, please see our refunds and cancellations page here: https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/shipping-returns/
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What is your official guarantee and policy on repairing your jewelry?
I have perfected the technique to preserve and harden your breast milk, and your breast milk stone comes with a guarantee that it will not discolor, go moldy, or disintegrate over time, barring that you treat your jewelry the way we recommend you do (don't store your jewelry in directly sunlight or in a hot environment, don't wear your jewelry in a way that exposes it to UV light for a long period of time, don't store your jewelry in an unusual place like a shoe box, purse or bag, or medicine cabinet, don't expose your breast milk stone to water for a long period of time, don't use perfumes, lotions, or cleaners on your jewelry, etc.). If you do decide to store your jewelry long-term, it should be stored in an air-tight container with an oxygen-absorbing agent and it should be gently cleaned of tarnish regularly.
Our guarantees on the settings (the metal in which your stone is set) varies, and can be found on our Shipping and Returns page here:
https://www.breastmilkjewelry.com/shipping-returns/
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Is there a time limit on how long I can wait to send my breast milk or material to you? What happens if I wait to send my milk to you and the setting is discontinued or no longer available?
There is no time limit for your order and I will not cancel your order after a certain period of time, however, I do prefer that you send your breast milk or other material to me within 30 days. The reason for this is that any settings or pieces required to make your custom jewelry are more likely to be in stock and not discontinued in this time frame. Prices may also increase, as prices on precious metals do increase upwards over time, so sending your milk shortly after you purchase your jewelry ensures that we can honor the price you paid. The longer you wait to send your milk, the more likely prices will increase.
If you do wait to send your milk to me and the setting is discontinued, no longer available in that time-frame, or increases in prices, you will receive store-credit for the setting towards the purchase of another setting of equal or greater value (we cannot give refunds past 90 days--see our refunds and cancelation policy for details on this) . Should your setting be discontinued in the time you waited to send your breast milk to us, I am unable to issue refunds on a new setting selection if your previous setting was valued more than the new setting you select.
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I have a design idea or existing pendant I'd love for you to use. Can you do custom orders?
I used to do custom designs, but due to being overwhelmingly busy, I no longer have time to price out individual custom orders and will no longer take custom orders. This does not mean that I will not eventually add a design like the one you're wanting, so feel free to e-mail me with any design ideas you'd like to see my store offer in the future. I have several designs that were born of customer requests, so let me know what you'd like to see!
I have such a low milk supply. Can you use less than 2 TBSP (30 mL) for a pendant?
It is possible to do for a smaller pendant. Sometimes I can use as little as 1 TSP (5 mL). Contact me by using my Contact page or e-mailing me at info@breastmilkjewelry.com if you're having a supply issue and I'll help guide you to a design that might work for you.
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Do you have any suggestions for increasing breast milk supply so I can send you the needed amount?
Hand-expressing milk works best. You can also collect a few drops of milk each day and build from there. Since we're not concerned about the milk spoiling, it can be collected for weeks before shipping to me.
Here's a link to my blog with tips for increasing milk supply!
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How durable are your jewelry pieces? Can I shower, swim, or wash my hands with them on?
Our jewelry is very durable. We guarantee it will not gold moldy or disintegrate over time, unlike some other jewelry providers. With that said, it is important to note that your jewelry should be treated delicately. Your breast milk stone will be scratch resistant, but not scratch-proof. Furthermore, if you do choose to shower in your jewelry, your stone may lose it's shine after some time. This can be due to soap scum, calcium, or lime buildup. Even chemicals added to your water supply, such as fluoride, can cause the stone to lose it's shine and may affect the color of your stone. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you do not swim, shower, or wash your hands with your jewelry on.
We also recommend that you store your jewelry away from excess moisture (outside of moist environments like a locker room or a bathroom), and do not store your jewelry in sunlight or where it would be exposed to heat. Do not apply lotions, hand sanitizer, or other chemicals to your jewelry.
Bottom line: Treat your breast milk jewelry as you would a family heirloom, like a beautiful set of your grandmother's pearls.
Limitation of Liability Disclaimer
I understand that the material you send me is precious to you, but some things cannot be controlled. By purchasing from me, you understand that Kyra Brooks and Indigo Willow, LLC cannot be held responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged materials due to fire, flood, theft, earthquake, tornado, blizzard, or any other Act of God. For this reason, I do ask that you do not send me all you have of your material (be it breast milk, ashes, placenta powder, hair, etc.). This is to ensure that you are able to have a back up should something happen and you need to send more of your material.