DesigNA makes DNA jewellery from County Durham. Oliver Sullivan founded the brand in Durham in 2025, and the registered office sits inside the Durham Genome Centre in Lanchester. That is a genetic research facility, not a shop front. Naturally, people ask whether they can visit, where we make the pieces, and what a North East business means for them. This post answers those questions plainly.
Why County Durham
DesigNA started with one question. What does personalisation mean when anyone can copy it? For example, a jeweller can engrave a name for anyone. Millions of people share a birthstone. However, nobody shares your DNA profile, so a piece designed from it exists once.
The answer took shape in Durham. Business Durham, the economic development arm of Durham County Council, profiled DesigNA as a Durham start up turning DNA into wearable art. Our registered office is at the Durham Genome Centre, Park House, Station Road, Lanchester, DH7 0EX. In short, the science is not a marketing aesthetic. It is the neighbourhood.
What DNA jewellery means, in one paragraph
A DesigNA piece begins with a cheek swab you take at home. Next, a UK laboratory with over 25 years in genetic testing reads 23 identity markers from the sample. Each marker then becomes a coloured stone along the strand, in the exact order your DNA places it, and the metal spheres or pearls hold the spaces between. As a result, no two pieces ever match. In addition, every piece arrives with a signed certificate of authenticity. The piece carries the pattern of your DNA, not the DNA itself, because the laboratory destroys the sample after profiling.
Where we make the pieces
We make every DesigNA piece in the UK. Our partner jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter strings and finishes the strand by hand, then checks it against the certificate before it ships. Therefore the order travels from Durham to the laboratory, on to the jeweller, and back to your door, all inside the United Kingdom. Free tracked delivery covers both the kit and the finished piece.
Can I visit or collect in Durham
Not yet. DesigNA sells online, and the Durham Genome Centre is a working research building, so there is no counter to call at. Instead, the kit reaches you in 2 to 3 working days. You take the swab at home, and we make the piece in 2 to 3 weeks from the day the laboratory has it. For example, if you post the swab back the day the kit arrives, the finished piece usually lands in about three to four weeks. Consequently, local buyers get exactly the same service as anyone else in the country, with the same free delivery.
Gifts for someone in the North East
A DesigNA piece suits a birthday, an anniversary or a thank you, and the kit itself is the present they unwrap. The DNA necklaces run from £249 in silver and pearl to £699 in 9ct gold, and the DNA bracelets start at £179. If the date is close, give the DesigNA gift card on the day and the piece follows. For Christmas 2026, order a finished piece by Sunday 15 November.
Frequently asked questions
Is DesigNA a Durham company?
Yes. DesigNA is the trading name of Double Strand Ltd, company number 15005294, and our registered office sits inside the Durham Genome Centre in Lanchester, County Durham. Oliver Sullivan founded the brand in Durham in 2025.
Do you make DNA jewellery in the UK?
Yes. First, the laboratory work happens in the UK, and so does the making. Our partner jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter strings and finishes each piece by hand, and we ship it with free UK tracked delivery.
Can I pick up my order in Durham?
Not at the moment. We post everything, so the kit and the finished piece both arrive by free tracked delivery. In other words, a Durham address gets exactly the same service as any other UK address.
Does the laboratory keep my DNA?
No. The laboratory destroys the sample once it has read the 23 identity markers, and we delete the marker data after your piece arrives. It reads identity markers only, never health or ancestry.
How long does it take?
The kit arrives in 2 to 3 working days. Then we make the piece in 2 to 3 weeks from the day the laboratory has your swab. Swab promptly, and the whole thing usually takes about three to four weeks.
Ready to start? Explore the full DesigNA collection.
Your genetic code, profiled from a simple cheek swab and handcrafted into the exact DesigNA necklace. No two are ever the same.
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