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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Keepsakes, Jewelry & Preservation
What is keepsake / breastmilk jewelry? Keepsake jewelry is a special way to preserve your most precious memories. Your chosen inclusions such as breastmilk, formula, ash, dried flowers, locks of hair, encapsulated placenta, dried umbilical cord, sand, burial dirt, and really anything that holds deep meaning to you are preserved and added to a resin mixture. Custom stones are then set to your preferences in a handmade jewelry piece custom made for you by a select artisan.
How much milk do you need? What quantity of cremation ashes should I send? For breastmilk jewelry, all I need is 10mL (approximately 1/3 of an ounce) of milk. It can be fresh, frozen, old, expired for consumption, etc. it just cannot show any signs of mold growth! Once preserved, this is enough to make several pieces of jewelry. Your preserved milk is kept in our storage for 2 years beyond your order date - so if you ever find yourself wanting another piece in the future (or if you misplace your piece - accidents happen!), reach out and we can dig out your preserved milk. Read more below about how to package and send your milk! For cremation ashes, burial dirt, sand, etc. I require about 1/2 tsp of product. Any unused ashes, burial dirt or sand will be returned to you.
What if I don't have any milk left, or I didn't nurse? That's a-okay! Rest assured, we can still make you a beautiful keepsake to commemorate your journey. If you didn't nurse, we can use formula, or if you don't have any breastmilk or formula left, we can tint the resin with a slight white color to simulate milk. The resin can also be made into numerous other colors if you'd rather have a colorful piece! Consider adding in some baby hair, dried flowers, umbilical cord, encapsulated placenta, threads or fabric from a special lovey, the options are endless! Unsure what to add? Reach out and we can discuss some ideas.
How long does it take my piece to be made? Although time frames may change with order demand, on average I ask for 8 to 12 weeks from the time I receive your inclusion (breastmilk, ashes, etc). If I suspect it will take longer due to current order load, or the customization of your piece, I will contact you to let you know.
How do I get my inclusions (breastmilk, ashes, etc.) to you? Detailed instructions on how to send your milk and/or inclusions will be sent via confirmation email once your purchase is complete. The address will be included in this email. If you do not see the email in your inbox, check your spam folder. If you still cannot locate the email, please contact us at modernkeepsakesjewelry@gmail.com. You will be responsible to pay shipping when sending your milk/keepsake to me. You must get tracking information and keep your receipt. Please do NOT require signature for delivery. DO NOT SEND ME THE LAST OF YOUR BREASTMILK OR KEEPSAKES. There are rare occasions when it can get lost in the mail. Modern Keepsakes is not responsible if this happens and will not issue refunds for this issue. Avoid this tragedy completely by not sending the last of anything! For breastmilk, you will need a small bubble mailer and 3 breastmilk storage bags. Please only send 10mL (approximately 1/3 ounce) of thawed/room temperature breastmilk in a breastmilk storage bag. Place this bag in another sealed breastmilk storage bag, and then another (triple bag the breastmilk - leaks happen!). Write your full name and order number on the outside (3rd) bag. Place in a small bubble mailer and send it on its journey! For ash, I only need 1 tbsp. Double bag it (ziplock is fine). Write your full name and order number on the outside bag. If you are purchasing a larger piece, please include 3 tbsp. Send in a small bubble mailer. Any unused ashes will be returned to you. For dried flowers, send 5-7 FULLY DRIED petals in a ziplock bag and place extra bubble wrap around the bag. Write your full name and order number on the bag. Send in a small bubble mailer. For hair, please send a decent chunk (about 25 strands). The best way to do this is tie a small elastic around the hair, THEN cut it right behind the elastic. Place in ziplock bag and label with your full name and order number. Place in a bubble mailer and send it on it's way! Any unused hair will be returned to you. For placenta, put one enclosed capsule in a ziplock bag and label with your full name and order number on the bag. Any unused portions will be returned to you. For umbilical cord, it must be fully dried. Only send a small portion of stump. Place in a ziplock bag and label with your full name and order number. I will return any unused portion to you. For all other inclusions, please email me and I will give you specific instructions for your keepsake.
Do you do custom pieces? Absolutely we do! Every piece in our current collection started with a message "can you make me..." and Voila! A new piece was born! We'd love to work with you to create a piece perfectly custom for you. Contact Us to submit an inquiry - please be as detailed as possible - and Alanna will get back to your shortly. Not quite sure what you want? That's okay - Contact Us anyways and we can get the ball rolling and help guide you to your perfect piece.
Do you have Solid Gold pieces? Absolutely! We're constantly adding new pieces to our collections, and our goal is to add more solid gold pieces in the near future. We work with a few select jewelers who are true masters of their craft. They can create almost anything we ask. If you're looking for a solid or filled gold piece, Contact Us and we'll send you more information! Keep an eye on our shop to see more pieces coming soon!
Why Sterling Silver? Will it tarnish? At Modern Keepsakes we wanted to be respectful of all Mamas on all budgets. Because of this, a majority of our pieces are classic 925 sterling silver, as they come at a lower price point and are more accessible. Most of our Sterling Silver jewelry can be plated in rose or yellow gold if you wish. The plating on plated pieces will wear off and need re-plating at some point. Plating lifetime depends on many factors such as an individual's body chemistry, time spent wearing the piece, jewelry care, etc. Many jewelry stores offer plating services for a fee (typically around $50 to $100). We recommend having the jeweler remove the keepsake stone before plating and re-setting the stone after plating. For pieces where the stone cannot be removed we recommend carefully adding a layer of liquid latex just over the top of the stone before plating. Be sure you notify the jeweler that the stone is made from resin! A polishing cloth and storage box is included with every jewelry order. You can use this cloth to polish silver and solid gold pieces. As always, follow the Jewelry Care Instructions included with your package to prolong the life of your piece. If you're interested in a piece created with filled or solid gold, contact us to inquire!
How do I know it's my breastmilk or my loved one's ashes in my piece? Rest assured, we take every precaution to ensure it is YOUR special keepsake and only your inclusions are used. Alanna is often referred to as "the most organized person I've ever met" by friends, former coworkers, fellow volunteers, etc. So you can trust, she is on the ball. We ask that you label your inclusions with your full name and order number, so once it is received, that order number stays will your piece the entire time. During the milk preservation process, your milk is individually preserved on it's own and special care is taken to ensure it remains separate from other client's milk. Everything is labeled with your order number and full name to keep it organized. During the actual jewelry creation process, only one piece of jewelry is made at a time. This ensures your preserved milk, ashes, or other inclusions are never mixed up with another client's. We also film a lot of our processes, so if you're ever curious, just leave a note and ask for the video of your piece being made - we would love to share it with you!
Shipping & Delivery
Do you offer local pickup? You bet! If you're local to the Edmonton / Sherwood Park area and would prefer to pick up your item, make sure you select "local pickup" when ordering. I'll contact you with instructions on how to drop off your milk/inclusions, and again with instructions once your item is ready for pickup!
Can you ship to me? Does it include insurance? Yes! We can ship your piece to you - select your appropriate shipping method at checkout. Please note, we ship via Canada Post, so be sure to give us your PO Box if you live rural! All our shipped items include insurance and tracking. Once your item is shipped, we will send you the tracking information. We currently ship to Canada and the USA only. We may consider other international locations in the future. If you would like us to consider your location, contact us and let us know!
Warranties, Returns & Cancellations
Do you offer a warranty on your pieces? Yes, of course we do. We want you to be happy with your piece, so if there is something wrong, please reach out! If your keepsake stone falls out of the setting and you still have the keepsake stone, we will repair it for free for a period of 120 days after you received your item from us. We cannot guarantee past 120 days. You are responsible for the cost of shipping the setting/stone to us. If you cannot locate the stone and the 120 day period has not yet passed, we can re-make the stone for you although you might need to send us more milk/keepsake inclusion. Prongs may become loose if the jewelry piece is handled roughly at any point. Local jewelry repair stores can provide services to fix loose prongs for a small fee. Discoloration can occur on ALL resin items as this is the chemical properties of all resin. As stated in the jewelry care instructions, please keep our pieces out of extended sunlight, away from heat, water, chemicals, etc. We use jeweler's grade resin for most pieces which contains UV stabilizers that guard against discoloration, however no resin is 100% able to mitigate damage from harsh chemicals, heat and extended UV light. Also, each sample of breastmilk is unique and some may appear more yellow than other samples as it goes through the preservation process. Some milk can even have a slight blue tone to it. If you would like ensure your stone is pure white, please note this in the comments on your order and we will add a bit of white pigment to whiten your breastmilk stone. We guarantee no discoloration will occur in the first 3 months (90 days) after you receive your item. If there is an issue with the preservation, the discoloration would happen within the first 3 months. Please inspect your jewelry upon reception and contact us immediately if the item is defective, damaged or if you receive the wrong item, so that we can evaluate the issue and make it right. If a setting is defective upon receipt of the jewelry piece or the keepsake stone appears to have major flaws, you have a 10 day grace period after receipt of the item to email me photos with your concern. It is up to Modern Keepsakes to determine whether the flaw falls within the normal variation range. If it does fall within the normal range, an exchange or return will NOT be accepted. If you have failed to notify Modern Keepsakes by email after 10 days upon receipt of item, an exchange or return will NOT be accepted. You have 21 days after we address your concern via email to send the piece back to us. If we do not receive the piece within 21 days, we will not issue an exchange or return. Although this sounds like a lot of rules, we want to ensure you are happy with your piece and love it. If you ever have any questions, concerns, or are unhappy, please feel free to reach out. We'll do what we can to make it right!
Do you accept returns or exchanges? If you change your mind, you have 24 hours from the moment your order is placed to email us and update or change your order. After 24 hours, your specifications will be sent to our jeweler and changes cannot be made. Due to the custom nature of each item, we are unable to accept returns or offer refunds or exchanges. Each piece is custom made to your specifications, and is often sized by our jeweler to meet your requirements. We do not keep an inventory of items in stock and custom order each individual piece for each individual order. Please ensure you are confident in your ring size before placing and order! We are unable to offer exchanges or refunds because your ring does not fit. If you are unsure of your size, you can visit a local jewelry store and ask to be sized or order a simple ring sizing tool off amazon. If you are local to the Edmonton/Sherwood Park area, and need to be sized, reach out to us via email to set up a quick ring sizing appointment. If you receive your jewelry piece and are unhappy with the piece for any reason, please contact us - we want you to love your piece!
Help! I changed my mind! Can I cancel my order? If you change your mind, you have 24 hours from the moment your order is placed to email us and update or change your order, or request a refund. Refunds are subject to a 10% restocking fee. After 24 hours, your specifications will be sent to our jeweler and changes cannot be made.
Can I make changes to my order? If you would like to change your jewelry design, size, color, shape, etc. this must be done within 24 hours of placing your order! Beyond 24 hours, your specifications are sent to our jeweler and changes cannot be made. If you would like to make changes to your inclusions or add ons, like changing your metallic foil color or adding pearl shimmer, please contact us ASAP to add these to your order. Provided your order is not in production yet, we can assist you with making these changes.
Contact, Support & General Inquiries
How do I check the status of my order? You can check the status of your order by visiting the order status page. Orders are processed based on when inclusions and the jewelry is received. Some jewelry takes longer to receive, so these orders may take longer. If you have any questions, be sure to contact us for clarification!
Do you offer Gift Certificates? You bet! Purchase an electronic gift card on our site (under Collections - Gift Card). Want a printable paper copy to include in a gift? Send us an email and we can send one over!
How can I contact you? You can use the Contact Us page right on this website! All inquiries come directly to our inbox. If you prefer, send us an email to modernkeepsakesjewelry@gmail.com Please allow 2 to 4 business days for us to respond!
Something is wrong with my order - what do I do? Send us an email ASAP and we will sort it out! You can email us at modernkeepsakesjewelry@gmail.com
I LOVE my completed piece and would like to give you a shoutout - what's the best way to do this? We would love a shout out! You can post on social media and tag us @modern.keepsakes or send us an email with your testimonial! It means the world to us to know you love your piece!
I'm overwhelmed and I need some help. Please reach out! Need help with your order? Send us an email. Overwhelmed with choices and need some help making a decision? Send us an email. Just feeling overwhelmed with motherhood in general and need someone to talk to? We can help with that too. We're a community - feel free to reach out any time.
I sent you an email and haven't heard back yet. Please allow 2 to 4 business days to respond. If you haven't heard back after 4 business days, please reach out again. We are human and sometimes things get missed, or we may be overwhelmed with orders and inquiries and just need a bit of extra time. Still haven't heard back? Although it's odd for us not to return your inquiry, there has to be a reason! Check our Instagram @modern.keepsakes to see if we're on vacation and unplugged, or try sending us a DM on Instagram!