If you think the concept of jewellery made from the stump of a baby’s umbilical cord sounds gross, let’s just remember for a second that people are drying their placentas and making them into teddy bears …which will haunt your nightmares.

So, comparatively, beautiful jewellery worn lovingly by a mother sounds a lot less…terrifying.

The umbilical cord is deemed a sacred part of the mother-baby bond, because it literally is the lifeline which nourishes a baby whilst it’s in its mother’s womb. The cutting of the cord post-birth is considered a sacred process in many cultures, which is why it makes sense that many parents choose to honour it in a lovely piece of jewellery.

Ruth Avra, a jewellery designer in Florida, told The New York Post that she was inspired to make umbilical stump pieces in 2012, after she had her son, and her best friend also had a baby.

“I put both stumps next to each other on the table. Lightning bolts struck and I had a plan,” Avra said.

Avra incorporated the stumps in necklaces, and knew the pieces were so special that other mothers would want to do the same, too. (If they weren’t already too busy with turning their placenta into teddy bears.)