FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Quick access:
- What does "inclusions" mean?
- How much milk do you need?
- Can you use old or frozen milk?
- Won't my milk go off in transit?
- Can I send more than 30ml? Can I use a bottle or tub?
- How long do you store excess milk?
- What do you do with excess cord/hair etc?
- How will I know when my inclusions have arrived?
- Can I see examples of lustre colours/resin shapes etc?
- What's a bezel?
- How do I send my inclusions?
- How do I know it's really my own breastmilk in my jewellery?
- Can I change my order?
- How can I take care of my Milk Diamond?
- Will a Milk Diamonds charm bead fit my Pandora bracelet?
- Are your rings adjustable?
- I don't know my ring size! Can you help?
- Do you use real silver/gold?
- I don't see exactly what I'd like online, can I still buy it?
- How long will my Milk Diamond take?
- Do you work with any other bodily fluids?
What does "inclusions" mean?
Inclusions is the word we use for your precious items you'd like to include in your piece of jewellery. This can include breastmilk, hair or fur, cremation ashes, umbilical cord, encapsulated placenta, flowers, fabric and other small items. If you don't see the item you'd like to include on our list, please contact us to discuss a commissioned piece.
How much milk do you need?
The ideal amount of milk is 30ml. This gives us enough milk to make your piece, as well as store some for any future pieces. If you have trouble expressing, we can use as little as 10ml of milk, but be aware, this generally means we don't have any left to store.
Can you use old or frozen milk?
Yes, old milk is absolutely fine. Providing the milk is not mouldy - it's usable! Even if it's been in the fridge longer than the recommended time. Frozen milk is absolutely fine too, even if it's years old. You'll need to defrost it and transfer it to a fresh bag before sending, but we'll remind you of that when you order.
Won't my milk go off in transit?
No. Milk is surprisingly resilient at room temperature and will survive a long time without being refrigerated or frozen. We wouldn't recommend feeding it to any children, but it's absolutely fine for jewellery making. We usually open and log inclusions once a week, before storing your milk back in the freezer until we're ready to use it. It doesn't matter if your milk has been defrosted, freezing it again will not affect the final result.
Can I send more than 30ml? Can I use a bottle or tub?
You can find the full information for sending milk here. More than 30ml is not only a waste, but it increases the chance of your milk leaking in transit. It is our experience that milk travels best double-bagged in breastmilk bags with no more than 30ml inside. We don't recommend sending milk in bottles or containers as they don't travel as well. Doing so risks your own milk becoming unusable as well as potentially spoiling other's inclusions in transit.
How long do you store excess milk?
We store excess milk for two years from your original purchase. If you'd like a second piece of jewellery and believe we have your milk stored, please contact us to confirm.
What do you do with excess cord/hair etc?
All excess inclusions (except milk) will be returned along with your completed jewellery. If there are none included in your parcel, it means we used all of the inclusion.
How will I know when my inclusions have arrived?
We'll email you to let you know. We generally process arrivals once weekly, which means we send out notifications the weekend following you posting. This helps us reduce administration time, as well as organise our workload into weekly batches. If you expected your inclusions to arrive more than seven days ago, and haven't received an email, please get in touch. If your inclusion lands in the sorting office, we'll do our best to collect it as soon as possible. Don't worry if this happens - milk for jewellery is fine at room temperature and will still be usable.
Can I see examples of lustre colours/resin shapes/etc?
Yes! Please visit our decorative elements page here to see some examples. If you're unsure, contact us by email or on Facebook and we'll do our best to show you an example.
What's a bezel?
The bezel is the piece of silver or gold which holds your milk diamonds stone in place. These come in various sizes and can be attached to any of our bands. Sometimes we call these stones.
How do I send my inclusions?
Once you've placed your order, you'll receive a confirmation email which gives you all the information you need. If you'd like to see this information again, you can click here.
How do I know it's really my own breastmilk in my jewellery?
You don't. There is a huge amount of trust involved in ordering keepsake jewellery and we understand that. However, we absolutely guarantee your jewellery contains your own inclusions. When you place your order, you're given an order number automatically by our website. We use this order number to label everything that arrives from you, and at all times during the making process. It's an old fashioned system with tape and a Sharpie, but it absolutely works! If you'd like to see examples of our workspace, or discuss this further, please contact us.
Can I change my order?
If your inclusions have not yet been posted to us, you can make minor changes to your order, including colour changes, swapping decorations of the same value or changing your ring size.
If you need to make major changes to your order, such as changing your jewellery type, ring band, bezel size, add any extra decorations or any other change that involves a price change, you will need to cancel and reorder using the correct options. Please ensure you label your inclusions with the correct order number when sending them in.
If your inclusions have arrived and been logged, unfortunately we cannot make any changes or cancel your order. Find out more about in our refund policy.
How can I take care of my Milk Diamond?
You will receive a care sheet with your milk diamonds which explains how to look after your milk diamonds to best protect its longevity. You can also view that information here.
Will a Milk Diamonds charm bead fit my Pandora bracelet?
Yes, our beads fit all standard European bracelets, such as Pandora, troll beads etc. The diameter of our bead hole is approximately 5mm. If you're not sure if our charm beads will fit your bracelet, please contact us. A photo of your bracelet would be helpful.
Are your rings adjustable?
No, our rings are made to standard UK sizing. If you do not know your ring size, Argos or your local jeweller should measure you for free. Alternatively, we can send you a ring sizer for £2.
I don't know my ring size! Can you help?
You can order a ring sizer here. It's just £2 which covers costs.
Do you use real silver/gold?
Yes, unless stated otherwise, all of our silver jewellery is sterling silver, including the grommets on our charm beads. Our gold rings are made with 14ct gold and are fully hallmarked by the Birmingham Assay Office and carry our unique maker's mark.
I don't see exactly what I'd like online, can I still buy it?
We have an extensive range of options available as standard to customise your Milk Diamond. These have been carefully selected to minimise our turnaround time whilst giving our customers the freedom to be creative and choose a piece that reflects their personality.
We love to make wonderfully unique jewellery. If you have an idea for a commission piece that you don't see available in our standard options, please contact us using the form below or message us via Facebook. There is an additional fee for a bespoke commission piece to cover the additional design and administration time.
How long will my Milk Diamond take?
Our turnaround time is subject to change at any time depending on multiple external factors including but not limited to volume of orders, annual leave, festive periods and ill health. We try to limit our turnaround to a maximum of twelve weeks where possible, though it is usually less than this.
Our order system works like a queue, which you enter when your inclusions arrive with us. We'll email you at this point to confirm their arrival and give you an estimated completion date. Once we reach your order and begin working on your Milk Diamond, we'll email you again. Our last email will let you know your Milk Diamond is on it's way.
If you need your Milk Diamond for a special date, please do let us know. Within reason, we'll try our best to accommodate your deadline.
You can always view our current estimated turnaround and upcoming work here.
Do you work with any other bodily fluids?
No. The only fluid we work with is breastmilk.