Today we’d like to introduce you to Brittany Barritt.
Hi Brittany, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Loving Memories Keepsakes was born out of a desire to help others – a passion reflected in my career path. Birth and breastfeeding are areas of work I have always been interested in, even from a young age. I have spent considerable time learning about these subjects over the years, including recently adding Birth Doula and Lactation Counselor to my resume. My first inspiration for starting Loving Memories Keepsakes was to celebrate that I had successfully nursed my child for an extended amount of time – a mentally and physically exhausting task, as many new mothers can attest to – with a breast milk jewelry keepsake. This is an increasingly common interest for mothers who have breastfed their children in some manner or another. As I was looking at finding an artist to create a beautiful keepsake for myself, I found a DIY kit and later an online academy that taught other women such as myself who were interested in keepsakes but wanted to put their personal touch on their jewelry items. I have always found myself crafty and have taken a few jewelry classes. Hence, the idea of being able to craft my piece and join a community of creators, and help others piqued my interest.
Along with creating my breast milk jewelry pieces, I decided I wanted to also offer my services to those grieving the loss of a loved one. This was a very relevant topic to me because my husband had lost his younger sister and father at a young age a few years earlier and wanted a wearable keepsake to have with him every day. After completing and graduating from a certifying academy for breast milk and DNA jewelry, Loving Memories Keepsakes was launched in 2018.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The timeline from launch until today has been one of highs and lows. Artistic exhaustion, life circumstances including the birth of our 6th child, and a long-distance move from central Wisconsin to right here in North Knoxville have made the journey a strenuous one, but one of beauty all the same. I have grown emotionally and artistically and am extremely proud of the pieces I have created. I feel great satisfaction and gratitude in helping others celebrate and grieve life’s most precious Loving Memories with a tangible keepsake that can be cherished every day.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Each keepsake takes hours of work to create and complete. From start to finish, a piece can take anywhere from 2 to 5 hours of hands-on labor and days of drying time to complete depending on the type of DNA inclusion and vision I have for each piece. Each piece is crafted individually with attention and detail on beauty and preserving a memory. If it is a breast milk keepsake, it is mailed to me. Once received, it is entered into my order system and labeled with a client’s name, the type of jewelry they ordered, and any details about the piece, including any color additives I should include. The milk is preserved with a patented powder formula that keeps the milk from molding, discoloring or breaking down. When the powder additive is added to the milk, it becomes a paste consistency and is set to dry for 24 to 48 hours. When the preserved milk has dried completely, it is ground down by hand in a mortal and pestled into a very fine powder to create the stone; this powder is then added to a two-part resin that is poured into silicone molds or directly into a setting and dries. If poured into a mold, it will dry and be set like a precious gem in a jewelry set. If it is a cremation ash keepsake, once the ash is mailed to me, it goes through a similar registration process, and then each keepsake contains ash picked and set individually by myself.
I also create jewelry and keepsake items, including hair or pet fur, sand, soil, dried flowers, placenta, umbilical cord, and fabric. Each inclusion type goes through a similar process for setting and is set by hand or with tweezers or toothpicks. When an item is complete, it is packed in a velvet jewelry box and shipped back to its owner.
I am proud of my persistence and determination to create quality jewelry with a lot of passion and heart put into every piece. I know firsthand the importance of each keepsake; each order received is a soul journey. I take time to reflect on the meaning behind each piece, even if I don’t know all the details. I recognize the long hours nursing, the life behind each cremation ash piece, the excitement and sadness of a child’s first haircut, the passing of a beloved pet, the celebration of a wedding or grieving from a funeral with flowers, memories created at a special place with soil or sand. Each item has a story, and a connection to that moment is formed every time I create for someone.
So, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you before we go? How can they support you?
I am the only person behind this business based on my online presence, reviews, and work sharing. My work can be found on my social media pages: Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, and my website. Orders can be placed on any of these platforms; contact me for any questions, and I’d be happy to help in any way possible! My website has the most current and up-to-date information and items listed, but Etsy offers the ability to break down paying for your order into 4 equal payments.
Pricing:
- Rings – $110 to $125
- Necklaces – $100 to $125
- Earrings – $60 to $70
- Other Keepsakes (including a poker chip card guard, beads and more) – $35 to $110
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lovingmemorieskeepsakes.com
- Instagram: @lovingmemorieskeepsakes
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/lovingmemorieskeepsakes
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/LovingMemoriesKpsks
Image Credits
The photo with the young girl, “Bella Rae Hicks, age 12”
