The science

Twenty three markers. Five dyes. One sequence that is only yours.

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
A DNA profile read on the laboratory screen

What is STR analysis?

A section of your DNA that repeats, a number of times that is yours.

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 it repeats 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.

We read identity markers only. Your health, your heritage, your predispositions: none of that is ever captured. Just the numerical pattern that makes you, you.

From profile to pattern

Five dye colours. Twenty three markers. One sequence.

Using capillary electrophoresis, the laboratory identifies the repeat count at each of your 23 STR markers, each read in one of five fluorescent dyes. Every marker becomes a stone in that dye's colour, placed along the strand by fragment size, so the last marker on every piece is Penta D, always in amethyst.

  • Lapis lazuli
  • Garnet
  • Citrine
  • Amethyst
  • Amazonite
The five stones
DNA profile · electropherogramFragment size →
Your profile, your order

From DNA to design

How it works, in four steps.

  1. 1

    Your swab kit arrives

    A sterile cheek swab kit straight to your door. Collection takes under two minutes.

  2. 2

    Laboratory STR profiling

    Capillary electrophoresis reads the repeat count at each of your 23 markers. A string of numbers, your profile.

  3. 3

    Your profile becomes a pattern

    Each marker takes its position along the strand, and the spheres fill the spaces between. Built with the real production formula.

  4. 4

    Handcrafted and delivered

    Set by hand in the UK in the order your markers decide, checked against your certificate, delivered in the signature box.

Your DNA is safe with us

Privacy by design, not by policy.

Your DNA and privacy
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 sample is destroyed after profiling. We never retain, sell or share your raw genetic material.
UK GDPR and the Human Tissue Act
Genetic data is special category data. Explicit consent, secure storage, strict access.
Right to erasure
Request deletion of your STR profile data at any time by emailing sales@mydesigna.co.uk.

What your piece is made from

Your profile decides the pattern. These carry it.

Every piece is hand strung and finished by our partner jeweller in the UK's Jewellery Quarter.

More on the stones
Sterling silver
925 hallmarked. 5mm spheres on the necklaces and twisted ropes, 2mm on the fine bracelets, with silver clasps and extender chains.
9ct gold
Hallmarked solid batons and clasps on the Gold DNA Profile Necklace, and a 9ct gold clasp on the Silver Sphere Gold Accent Necklace.
Gold filled
4mm spheres marking your positions on the necklaces and twisted ropes, 2mm on the fine bracelets, with gold filled spacers, accents and extender chains.
Freshwater pearl
6mm on the Pearl DNA Profile Necklace, 5mm on the twisted pearl ropes, 2mm on the fine pearl bracelets.
Natural 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 and carnelian at 2mm.
Zircon and gold plate
The DNA Representation Pendant only. A fixed design with no profile behind it, which is why it needs no swab.

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.

Macro of the DesigNA clasp, extender chain and stamped disc beside freshwater pearls

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.

How it works

Common questions

The science, answered

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.

What exactly does the laboratory see in my DNA?

Your sample is handled by our laboratory partner, Complement Genomics. They extract your DNA and produce a profile from 23 autosomal markers. Identity markers only, never health, ancestry or any clinical information.

Is this the same science as a paternity or forensic test?

Yes. The same Short Tandem Repeat analysis 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.

From data to design

Wear your own science.

A profile written nowhere else on earth, set in silver, pearl or gold.

Begin your pieceHow it works