Established 2025 · United Kingdom
The science of
one of one jewellery.
A piece of jewellery that exists in one place only, because the design comes from the wearer's own DNA. Not chosen, not customised. Read from biology, certified, and handcrafted in the UK.
Currently nominated
Jeweller of the Year, My Local Awards 2026
If you have bought from us or you back the idea of bringing real science into British jewellery making, a single vote helps a lot.
Vote for DesigNAWhy we built this
Personalised jewellery had a problem. A name necklace could be copied. A birthstone could be matched. A coordinate could be found in someone else's life. Every “personalised” gesture was, in practice, repeatable.
The only thing that cannot be repeated is you. Your DNA is a sequence written nowhere else, ever. We started DesigNA to translate that into something wearable.
Every DesigNA piece is generated from a saliva sample analysed by our laboratory partner. Specific genetic markers, chosen because they are highly variable and clinically uninformative, dictate the order of stones and pearls along the necklace. The arrangement is biology, not opinion.
Founder
DesigNA was founded by Oliver Sullivan, a First Class Economics graduate of Loughborough University. The brand was built around one belief: that the next generation of luxury would be defined less by who else owns the same thing, and more by what cannot be repeated.
If you would like to reach Oliver directly, write to Oliver@mydesigna.co.uk.
Featured in
Business Durham · DesigNA: The Durham start up turning your DNA into wearable art
Business Durham is the economic development arm of Durham County Council, profiling companies driving innovation in the region. Their feature covers our origin story, the science underpinning each piece, and the choice to build the brand inside the Durham Genome Centre.
Where we work
DesigNA is the trading name of Double Strand Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 15005294.
Our registered office sits inside the Durham Genome Centre, a real genetic research facility in Lanchester, County Durham, focused on DNA analysis and laboratory science. Being inside an active research building gives the brand its physical and intellectual home: the science is not a marketing aesthetic, it is the neighbourhood.
Our laboratory partner
Every sample is analysed by Complement Genomics, a UK based forensic genetics laboratory. They are UK Ministry of Justice approved and hold ISO 17025 UKAS accreditation for identity testing, the same standard required for legal paternity testing in the UK.
What that means in plain English: the lab reading your DNA operates to the most rigorous regulatory standard available for identity testing in this country. Their core business is forensic STR analysis, the technique we use to translate your unique genetic markers into your design. The science behind your necklace is the same science admitted as evidence in court.
Our master jewellers
Manufacturing is handled in Birmingham, the historic heart of British jewellery making, by craftspeople who also finish pieces for H Samuel, Ernest Jones, Goldsmiths and F Hinds. The same hands that string fine jewellery for some of the United Kingdom's most established retailers finish every DesigNA necklace.
Each piece is hand strung, hand finished, and quality checked. There is no production line. Every necklace is a discrete object made by a person, not a process.
How a piece is made
The full process is set out in detail in our journal. The short version: you order a DNA collection kit, post a swab back to the laboratory, your data is translated into a design, and your one of one necklace is handcrafted in Birmingham. Steps three to five together take 7 to 14 working days from the lab receiving your sample.
The materials
- Pearl: 5 to 6mm cultured freshwater pearls with sterling silver fittings, five 4mm semi precious stones from a palette of eleven.
- Silver: 925 hallmarked sterling silver beads, five 4mm semi precious stones from a palette of eleven.
- Gold: 9ct gold tubes and clasps, gold-filled beads and extender chain, five 4mm semi precious stones from a palette of eleven.
Stones and metals are sourced from sustainable UK and European wholesalers. Cultured freshwater pearls are sourced internationally. Final assembly, hallmarking, and finishing are all done in the United Kingdom. Every piece is, in the legally protected sense, made in the UK.
Privacy and ethics
Sample handling and data storage are governed by UK GDPR and the Human Tissue Act 2004. The physical sample is destroyed once analysis is complete. The marker data is encrypted at rest and deleted after delivery. We do not read clinical, ancestry, or behavioural markers, and we do not sell or share your data. The full position is in our journal entry Is DNA jewellery ethical.
Questions people ask
Is this real science?
Yes. Every sample is analysed by Complement Genomics, a UKAS accredited UK forensic genetics laboratory. They are Ministry of Justice approved for identity testing. The technique we use, short tandem repeat analysis, is the same forensic method admitted as evidence in UK courts.
What does the lab see in my DNA?
We read short tandem repeat markers. These are highly variable between people but tell us nothing about your health, ancestry, or behaviour. The lab does not see, store, or analyse anything clinical or genealogical. They read a sequence of identity markers and pass the pattern to our design system.
Who actually makes my necklace?
Every DesigNA piece is hand strung and hand finished in Birmingham, the historic heart of British jewellery making. Our partner workshop also finishes pieces for H Samuel, Ernest Jones, Goldsmiths and F Hinds. There is no production line. Each necklace is a discrete object made by a person.
Is my DNA stored after my piece is made?
No. The physical sample is destroyed once analysis is complete. The marker data is encrypted at rest and deleted after your necklace ships. Handling is governed by UK GDPR and the Human Tissue Act 2004. We never sell or share your data, and we never read clinical, ancestry, or behavioural markers.
Is it really one of one?
Yes, in the strictest sense. Your DNA is a sequence written nowhere else, ever. The exact order of stones and pearls along your necklace is generated from your genetic markers, so the design exists in one place only. Your certificate of authenticity carries the unique sequence that produced it.
Independent reviews
We are listed on Trustpilot. If you have bought from us, the most useful thing you can do for the next customer is to leave an honest review. If you are weighing up whether to buy, our reviews are here.
Written by Oliver Sullivan, founder of DesigNA. Last updated May 2026.