The science
The Science
Short Tandem Repeat analysis reads 23 markers of your DNA, the same identity science trusted in British courts, and turns the result into a pattern of stones.
- 23 STR markers read
- Over 25 years in genetic testing
- Nothing clinical, ever
The Science Behind Your Jewellery
Every DesigNA piece is created from your unique genetic fingerprint, the same technology trusted by forensic scientists worldwide.
What is STR Analysis?
STR stands for Short Tandem Repeat, a section of your DNA where a short sequence of base pairs repeats over and over.
The number of times these sequences repeat is unique to you, creating a pattern as individual as a fingerprint. It is the same analysis used for identity testing and legal paternity testing in the UK. We use it for one purpose, to generate your design.
In short: STR analysis is the gold standard for personal identification, and it’s what makes your DesigNA piece truly yours and no one else’s.
We read identity markers only. Your health, your heritage, your predispositions: none of that is ever captured. Just the unique numerical pattern that makes you, you.
From profile to pattern
Five dye colours. Twenty three markers. One sequence that is only yours.
From DNA to Design: How It Works
Step 1. Your Swab Kit Arrives
We send a sterile cheek swab kit straight to your door. The collection process takes under two minutes, simply swab the inside of your cheek and return it in the prepaid envelope.
Step 2. Laboratory STR Profiling
Your sample is processed at our partner laboratory. Using capillary electrophoresis, scientists identify the repeat count at each of your 23 STR markers. This produces a string of numbers, your unique genetic profile.
Step 3. Your Profile Becomes Art
Our design team translates your numerical STR profile into a visual pattern, a rhythm of peaks and valleys as unique as your DNA. This pattern is then applied to your chosen piece of jewellery.
Step 4. Handcrafted & Delivered
Your piece is handcrafted to the highest standard and delivered in beautiful DesigNA packaging, a one-of-a-kind creation that can only ever belong to you.
Your DNA is Safe With Us
We take your privacy as seriously as we take our craft. Here’s exactly how we handle your genetic data:
STR Only
We extract only your STR profile, the identity numbers. No health, ancestry, or predisposition data is ever read or stored.
Sample Destroyed
Your physical DNA sample is destroyed after profiling. We do not retain, sell, or share your raw genetic material with any third party.
UK GDPR Compliant
All data is handled in accordance with UK GDPR. Your STR profile numbers are stored securely and used solely to produce your jewellery.
Right to Erasure
You can request the deletion of your STR profile data at any time, simply by contacting us at sales@mydesigna.co.uk.
For full details, read our Privacy Policy.
What your piece is made from
Your profile decides the pattern. These are the materials that carry it, and the sizes we work in. Every piece is hand strung and finished by our partner jeweller in Birmingham.
- 925 hallmarked sterling silver. Polished spheres at 5mm on the necklaces and the twisted ropes, and at 2mm on the fine sphere bracelets. Sterling silver clasps and extender chains.
- 9ct hallmarked gold. Solid gold batons and a solid gold clasp on the Gold DNA Profile Necklace, and a 9ct gold clasp on the Silver Sphere Gold Accent Necklace.
- Gold filled. Spheres at 4mm marking your positions on the necklaces and twisted ropes, and at 2mm on the fine bracelets, with gold filled spacers, accents and extender chains.
- Freshwater pearl. 6mm round on the Pearl DNA Profile Necklace, 5mm on the twisted pearl ropes, and 2mm on the fine pearl bracelets.
- Natural semi precious stones. Your markers, cut to match the spheres around them: 4mm on the necklaces and twisted ropes, 2mm on the fine bracelets. Lapis lazuli, garnet, citrine, amethyst and amazonite, with turquoise for blue and carnelian for red at 2mm. More on the stones.
- Gold plated setting with oval zircon. The DNA Representation Pendant only. It is a fixed design with no profile behind it, which is why it needs no swab.
Common questions
Why do you analyse STR markers rather than the whole genome?
We deliberately read only STR identity markers, never your whole genome. STR analysis reveals identity but nothing about your health, ancestry, or medical conditions, privacy by design. It focuses entirely on the markers that tell one person from another.
What exactly does the laboratory see in my DNA?
Your sample is handled by our laboratory partner, Complement Genomics. They extract your DNA and process it to produce a DNA profile from 23 autosomal markers. They read identity markers only, never your health, ancestry, or any clinical information.
Is this the same science as a paternity or forensic test?
Yes. We use the same Short Tandem Repeat (STR) analysis, the same technique used for identity testing. Your piece is decorative and carries no legal or evidential standing. The only difference is what we do with it, turning your identity markers into jewellery.
The science, animated
Watch a profile become a piece
Chromatogram peaks are read, each marker takes its position along the strand, and the spheres fill the spaces between. Built with the real production formula, not an artistic impression. Turn the sound on for the narration.
Precision you can hold
Data, then craft
Once your profile is read, the pattern passes to our partner jewellers in the UK’s famous Jewellery Quarter. Every spacer, sphere and stone is set by hand in the order your markers decide, then checked against your certificate before it ships.
From data to design
Wear your own science
A profile written nowhere else on earth, set in silver, pearl or gold.