People ask us one question more than any other. What does my DNA profile actually reveal? It is a fair question, because DNA profile privacy matters more than the privacy of almost any other data you hold. So this post sets out plainly what a DesigNA profile can say about you and what it cannot. It also follows your sample and your data at every step.
Identity, health and ancestry are different tests
A DNA profile, a health screen and an ancestry test can all start with a cheek swab. However, they look at different parts of your DNA and they answer different questions.
A health screen looks for changes linked to particular conditions. An ancestry test compares patterns across your DNA with people from different regions. A DesigNA profile does neither. Instead, a UK laboratory with over 25 years in genetic testing reads 23 Short Tandem Repeat (STR) identity markers. Identity and paternity testing in the UK use the same kind of analysis.
Each marker sits at a known spot in your DNA where a short sequence repeats itself, and the laboratory counts the repeats. Because you inherit one copy from each parent, every marker carries two values. So the profile holds 23 pairs of numbers and nothing more. Wellcome's yourgenome site has a clear explanation of DNA profiling.
What the 23 markers can say
The profile can say who. In other words, it can tell one person from another, which is why identity and paternity testing rely on the same markers. Identical twins share a profile, so two pieces made from identical twins would match. Siblings, parents and children share about half their values, so their pieces differ.
That is the whole job of an identity marker. Each one gives a count, not a description. For example, your two values at D2S441 say nothing about your eyes, your height or your heart. They only say how many repeats you carry at that spot, and that count is what becomes a stone on your strand.
What the profile cannot say
The profile says nothing about health, ancestry, appearance, traits or disease. The laboratory reads only those 23 spots. A repeat count cannot say what you look like, where your family came from, or whether you carry a condition. As a result, nobody can learn about your body from your DesigNA certificate.
In short, the profile is a set of repeat counts at identity markers, the same thing a court uses to say who, never what. Each marker has two values, so a strand carries about 30 stone positions, and the pattern follows your DNA exactly. The pattern belongs to you alone, but it keeps your secrets.
DNA profile privacy under UK law
Genetic data is special category data under UK GDPR, which gives it extra protection. The ICO explains what special category data means and why an organisation needs both a lawful basis and a separate condition before it processes such data. The Data Protection Act 2018 writes those rules into UK law.
So we ask for your explicit consent on the form inside the kit, before anything happens to your swab. You read it and sign it yourself. We never sell or share your data, and our DNA and privacy page explains every step.
There is a second law to know about. Under the Human Tissue Act 2004, analysing an adult's DNA without their consent is an offence. Therefore an adult always takes their own cheek swab, with their own consent, and nobody can complete a kit for another adult. A child's piece is possible when a parent or guardian with parental responsibility gives written consent first, and 16 and 17 year olds consent for themselves. Our consent page sets this out in full.
What happens to your sample and your data
First, the laboratory extracts DNA from the swab and reads the 23 markers. Then it destroys the sample. The swab does not sit in a freezer somewhere, because once the profile exists it has done its job.
Next, the profile becomes a pattern of positions and colours, and our partner jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter strings the strand to match it. After your piece arrives, we delete the marker data. The certificate in your box then becomes the only record of the profile, and it belongs to you.
Finally, you can ask for deletion at any time by emailing sales@mydesigna.co.uk. You do not need to give a reason.
The piece carries the pattern, not the DNA
Your necklace carries the pattern of your profile, not the DNA itself. There is no genetic material in the stones, so the piece holds nothing a laboratory could read back. Wear it anywhere.
The Silver DNA Profile Necklace, £249, shows this well. Every marker value appears as a 4mm natural stone in its dye colour, in the exact order your DNA places it. The palette runs lapis lazuli, garnet, citrine, amethyst and amazonite. Polished 925 sterling silver batons hold the spaces between, with a silver spacer either side of each stone. It comes in 16, 18 or 20 inches with a 2 inch extender. It arrives in the black DesigNA box with your signed certificate on top, free by UK tracked post. Read more about the laboratory process on the science page.
Frequently asked questions
Can a DesigNA profile reveal health conditions?
No. The laboratory reads 23 identity markers only, and those markers are repeat counts that carry no health information. Nobody can learn about disease, traits or appearance from your certificate.
Does DesigNA keep my DNA?
No. The laboratory destroys the sample after profiling, and we delete the marker data after your piece arrives. You can also ask us to delete it sooner by emailing sales@mydesigna.co.uk.
Do you share or sell my DNA profile?
Never. Genetic data is special category data under UK GDPR, so we ask for your explicit consent on the form in the kit. We use the profile for your piece alone.
Can I order a piece from someone else's DNA?
Only with their consent. An adult always takes their own swab and signs their own form. For a child, a parent or guardian with parental responsibility gives written consent first, and 16 and 17 year olds consent for themselves.
Can someone read my DNA from the necklace?
No. The piece carries the pattern of the profile, not the DNA, so there is nothing in the stones to read. The laboratory destroyed the sample long before the piece reached you.
Ready to see your own pattern? 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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