AN Edinburgh mum-of-two’s business must be up there with the most unusual in the city – as it offers jewellery made from breastmilk.
Lauren Devine founded Boob Bling alongside Victoria Bradley in an effort to erase taboos and misconceptions around breastfeeding.
The service allows mothers to send their milk away to be made into bespoke pieces of jewellery, including rings, necklaces and earrings with “milkdrop pendants” made from frozen and crystallised breastmilk that is mixed with resin and iridescent powder.
The pieces are intended as keepsakes, for those who want to celebrate their breastfeeding journeys and pay “tribute to the moments in our lives that matter most”.
Boob Bling is frequently popular with husbands or partners who want to pay homage to the hard work that breastfeeding entails.
Lauren, 40, today said: “Breastfeeding is about more than just feeding your baby.
“It’s about the connection between a mum and her little one.
“And it’s also not always an easy journey, many mums experience latching difficulties to sleepless nights and everything else in between.
“So, choosing to preserve their breastmilk in a piece of beautiful Boob Bling breastmilk jewellery is a way for mums to commemorate the strength, perseverance and commitment it takes to have a successful breastfeeding journey.
“It’s a physical reminder of a massive achievement, however long they breastfed their baby.”
The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world, which the company attributes to lack of support and the shame that women feel over feeding, especially in public.
To combat this, they encourage their followers to post their breastfeeding pictures with the hashtag “tit of the month”, to break the stigma.
The jewellery, often accented by precious stones from ethical suppliers, sells for up to £180 in sterling silver, or £280 in 9ct gold.
Customers are also given the chance to draw their breasts, which can then be engraved onto necklace tags or signet rings, by an award-winning Edinburgh-based engraver.
Lauren says: “It was important that we created our own jewellery for example, instead of buying pre-made pieces.
“We wanted to keep the actual production of the jewellery in-house, made in Edinburgh by talented jewellers.
“We hoped the local angle would appeal to our potential customers.
“It was also important to us that we are a sustainable business, creating our jewellery with 100% recycled silver and gold.
“We created a range of designs that incorporate birthstones alongside breastmilk pearls, and we made sure that we only use genuine precious stones, sourced from suppliers with a strong ethical stance.”
Founder and mum-of-two Lauren left her 12-year corporate banking career to develop the Boob Bling business, noticing the popularity of keepsake jewellery and wanting a job “that would fit around raising young kids”.
After meeting Victoria during lockdown, the pair decided to develop the company together, and Victoria coined the “closely guarded” formula used to preserve breast milk after being sent to them.
The two have not been immune to the cost-of-living crisis, however, as Lauren states: “it has taken a lot of work to get the sales back to a level where we can keep this going.
“The cost of precious metals and stones has increased massively over the last 18 months, so it hasn’t been easy as we aren’t willing to compromise on quality.”
To date, the company has created breastmilk jewellery for over 600 mums, and the pair are currently working on pop-up events to allow Edinburgh mums to view pieces in person.
