'Some people think it is utterly disgusting' Mum divides opinions by creating jewellery out of breast milk

A mum and businesswoman has attracted a huge following by turning breast milk into pieces of jewellery.

Mum-of-two Debbie had been running her business Sentimental Keepsakes for a while when she started to notice the growing market for jewellery made from breast milk. Up until then, she had been turning the ashes of loved ones into jewellery for their families, but said she yet hadn't mastered the technology of turning milk into a 'forever' keepsake.

'I preserve the milk on the day that I receive it, and then turn it into a mouldable paste which I transfer into a mould or a silver base,' she explains of the process she has since perfected to make the jewellery. 'It's then left for a few days to harden like a stone before being sanded and sunk into the resin and left for a further few days. After that, it's turned into jewellery or baby plaques.'

'There are people I have known who've mixed it with resin, but that doesn't preserve the milk and ultimately ends up with the milk turning yellow. My first pieces were crafted 19 months ago and remain exactly the same today. It's all about how you preserve the milk.'

Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Debbie explained that although she still believes that breastfeeding is a 'contentious' issue for some, her 'DNA artistry' (as she calls it) is appealing to mothers who want to remind close to their babies after they eventually move on.

'I get the breast milk from mums wanting a keepsake to celebrate the bonding journey, usually, new mums or mums whose breast feeding journey is ending,' she said in the interview.

'Mums like to have an item to remember that special time that she spent bonding with her baby. Some mums buy for their babies to save it for when they are grown up too.'

'I've had very mixed reactions – some love it, some hate it…a little like Marmite.'

'Some people think it is utterly disgusting, but to be honest, as long as they are talking about it, I am fine with that – we've all got our own opinions. But many mothers love the idea and find it special.'

What you think of Debbie's unusual business? Let us know in the comments!