A jewelry collection launching today allows you to put a modern twist on the traditional locket by creating a necklace with a small glass capsule containing the DNA of a loved one or pet.
Amula DNA Jewellery is the creation of Elaine Young, a designer and artist with a background in bioethics and medical anthropology whose work uses fashion as a way of reconnecting people to their place in the cosmos and microcosmos. She is a member of The New Museum’s NEW INC, the world’s first museum-led incubator for art, design, and technology innovation. Her work has been exhibited at the Chicago Design Museum and the Hong Kong Asia Society, and her fashion accessories have been sold at the MoMA Design Store and Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art.
Previously available only in Hong Kong and Tokyo, Amula is now available for purchase in North America online, as well as retail stores including The New Museum Store and The Evolution Store, a New York City landmark that offers science and natural history collectibles in a unique museum-like setting.
In addition to being worn as a reminder of something or someone that means a lot to you, Amula necklaces make for meaningful gifts for birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, weddings, and other milestone occasions. Amula offers gift kits which include a photo of the necklace style purchased, two brushes for taking DNA samples, and step-by-step instructions for creating a personalized necklace.
“DNA may be invisible to the naked eye, but it holds truths about the origins and ancestry between people, animals, and plants – and has the potential to have an immense impact on the future, from health to biodiversity,” said Young. “Amula is a reminder of our uniqueness and interconnectedness encapsulated as a visually striking, eye-catching emblem for the wearer to pay homage to the lives that are most meaningful to them, while celebrating existence itself and our place in the cosmos.”
The name Amula derives from the ancient word amulet, which referred to an ornament designed to be carried on the person, placed in a space, or worn as a small piece of jewelry that provided protection against negative forces or energies.
Available in three styles that nod to the future while reflecting timeless aesthetics, each Amula necklace features a pendant made of stainless steel holding a laboratory grade glass capsule containing a DNA sample suspended in water and glycerol. The glass capsule is sealed with a silicone cap and epoxy, then suspended from a stainless steel cable chain.
To take a DNA sample, customers simply swab the inside of their cheek (or that of a loved one or pet) using a small plastic brush, reseal the kit, and return it. Amula then processes and purifies the DNA sample at Genspace, the world’s first non-profit community biotechnology lab in Brooklyn, New York, before encapsulating the DNA in the selected capsule style. More than one DNA sample can be placed in a single necklace. DNA samples are kept anonymous during processing, and Amula never sells or discloses customer information to any outside person, company, organization, or agency for any reason.
The design and materials of the Amula launch collection are inspired by shapes that highlight elements of geometry, nature, and technology. The shapes can be seen as bits, the 1’s and 0’s of the binary code system, and the capsules holding the DNA pay homage to the test tube. The Amula jewelry collection includes:
OVAO pendant: Inspired by the words ‘ova’ which means ‘egg’ in Latin and ‘avow’ meaning to confess openly or to declare, the OVAO necklace is circular in shape to reference two orbs coming together or separating like in mitosis. The necklace is 45cm long and the pendant measures 2.2×3.5cm (price: $430)
AEON-O pendant: Defined as a unit of time equal to a billion years, AEON also means life, eternity, or vital life force. Circular and round in shape from one end to reference elements of life like an atom; seen from another angle, the shape references the 1 in the binary code system. The pendant is long like a pendulum, with a necklace measuring 55.5cm and the pendant measuring 0.8×4.3cm. (price: $380)
AEON-SQ pendant: The AEON-SQ style differentiates itself from the AEON-O with its square and angular variation on the long pendulum-like pendant shape. Whereas AEON-O references elements of life like the atom or a molecule, AEON-SQ references pixels – the smallest element of digital screens. The necklace measures 55.5cm long with the pendant measuring 0.8×4.3cm. (price: $380)
