Why DesigNA
Jewellery that can only belong to one person.
Every other personalised piece adds something to a stock design. A DesigNA piece is designed from the person who wears it: a UK laboratory reads 23 identity markers from a cheek swab, and the result sets the order of the stones. This page answers the question people ask before they buy. Why this, rather than an engraving, a birthstone or a name?
- 23 markers read in a UK laboratory
- Signed certificate with every piece
- Made in the UK
Six things no other jewellery house can say
Why people choose DesigNA.
Why DesigNA
Made from you
A reading of 23 identity markers sets the order of every stone. Not an initial, not a birthstone: the person.
The scienceWhy DesigNA
One of one
No profile exists twice, so no piece does. The only match on earth is an identical twin.
See the necklacesWhy DesigNA
Certified
A signed certificate records the markers, the values and the drawn strand, position by position.
How it worksWhy DesigNA
Real jewellery
925 hallmarked silver, 9ct gold, freshwater pearls and natural stones, strung by hand in the UK.
See the braceletsWhy DesigNA
Private by design
Identity markers only. Sample destroyed after profiling, marker data deleted after delivery.
Your DNA and privacyWhy DesigNA
A Durham company
Founded in Durham in 2025, registered inside the Durham Genome Centre, run by its founder.
About DesigNA
The comparison
Engraved. Birthstone. Name. None of them is you.
Personalised jewellery usually means a stock piece with a detail added. An initial can be anyone's with that initial. A birthstone is shared by one person in twelve. A name is shared by thousands. A DesigNA piece is the other way round: the design starts from the person, and the piece is whatever that reading produces. No two can match, and the certificate proves which profile yours came from.
- Engraved necklace
- Stock design plus your words. Anyone with the same name or date gets the same piece.
- Birthstone necklace
- One stone shared by everyone born that month. About one person in twelve.
- Name necklace
- Says what you are called. Thousands of people share it.
- Photo locket
- Holds a picture of a person. Any locket can hold the same one.
- DesigNA
- Designed from the wearer's own DNA profile. Exists once. Certified.
The comparison
DesigNA against the alternatives.
What makes DesigNA different from other personalised jewellery?
Other personalised jewellery adds something to a stock piece: an initial, a date, a birthstone. A DesigNA piece is designed from the person. A UK laboratory reads 23 identity markers from a cheek swab, and each value becomes a natural stone placed along the strand in the order the profile sets. The design is a reading, not a decoration, and it comes with a signed certificate. Start with the Silver DNA Profile Necklace at £249 or browse the full collection.
DNA necklace or engraved necklace: which is more personal?
An engraving is the words you chose. A DNA necklace is the person. An engraved piece can be remade for anyone with the same name or date, and most engravable pieces are the same stock design under the words. A DesigNA piece exists once because the profile it was made from exists once. If you want words as well, the certificate carries the name and the date. See the Pearl DNA Profile Necklace at £275.
Is DNA jewellery better than a birthstone necklace?
A birthstone is shared by everyone born in the same month, about one person in twelve. The stones on a DesigNA piece are set by a reading of the wearer's own DNA, so the pattern is shared by nobody. The stones themselves are natural semi precious stones in a set palette, lapis lazuli, garnet, citrine, amethyst and amazonite, one for each dye colour the laboratory uses. Read more on the stones page.
DNA necklace or name necklace?
A name necklace says what you are called. A DNA necklace is made from who you are. Thousands of people share a first name; nobody shares a DNA profile. The Silver DNA Profile Necklace at £249 and the Silver Clasp DNA Profile Bracelet at £179 are the two pieces people choose when they want a quiet piece that is still unmistakably theirs.
Is DNA jewellery a gimmick, or real jewellery?
It is real jewellery first. The silver is 925 hallmarked sterling silver with a stamped 925 disc on the extender, the Gold DNA Profile Necklace is 9ct hallmarked gold, the pearls are genuine freshwater pearls and the stones are natural, never lab grown or imitation. A partner jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter strings every piece by hand and checks it against the certificate before it ships. The science is what sets the pattern; the jewellery is what you wear.
Where to start
Three pieces people choose first.
Every piece is made from the wearer's own profile and arrives with its certificate. Prices include the kit, the laboratory, the making and UK delivery.
-
View
Silver DNA Profile Necklace
£249The piece most people start with. Stones along 925 silver batons, £249.
-
View
Pearl DNA Profile Necklace
£275Freshwater pearls between the stones, finished in silver, £275.
-
View
Twisted Pearl and Gold DNA Profile Bracelet
£229Pearl rope with gold markers and the gold tag, £229.
Is it worth it
What the price actually buys.
Is DesigNA jewellery worth the price?
The price covers things a stock necklace never has to: a laboratory reading of 23 identity markers, a signed certificate, a design that exists once, and hand stringing in the UK, plus the kit, the box and free tracked delivery both ways. Bracelets start at £179, necklaces at £249, and the Gold DNA Profile Necklace is £699. How much does DNA jewellery cost? sets out the whole ladder.
Why does DNA jewellery cost more than engraved jewellery?
Because a laboratory and a jeweller both work on every single piece. An engraved necklace is a stock item with a few seconds of machine work added. A DesigNA piece needs a kit sent out, a swab read in a UK laboratory with over 25 years in genetic testing, a pattern built from the result, a strand strung by hand in that order, and a certificate signed off against it. There is no stock version, because there is no stock profile.
How do I know the piece is really made from my DNA?
The certificate in the box shows it. It lists the 23 markers, the dye channel, the two values and the fragment sizes for each, and a drawn strand with every position numbered, so you can run a finger along the real piece and find each stone on the page. The same reading is what the jeweller worked from. Is DNA jewellery accurate? walks through it, and the science page explains the method.
Trust
Who reads it, who makes it, who says so.
Who reads the DNA, and where is the piece made?
The laboratory is Complement Genomics, a UK laboratory with over 25 years in genetic testing, which reads the markers and then destroys the sample. The piece is then strung by hand by our partner jeweller in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter, in the UK. DesigNA itself is a Durham company with its registered office inside the Durham Genome Centre. Read our County Durham post.
Is my DNA safe with DesigNA?
Yes. The laboratory reads identity markers only, never health, ancestry or anything medical, and it destroys the sample after profiling. We delete the marker data after your piece arrives, you can ask for deletion at any time, and we never sell or share it. Genetic data is special category data under UK GDPR, which is why the kit asks for explicit written consent. Full details on your DNA and privacy.
Can anyone copy a DesigNA piece?
Not without the profile. A jeweller could copy the look of a strand of stones, but the pattern on yours comes from your 23 markers and we hold nothing to copy it from after delivery. The only case where two pieces match is identical twins, who share a profile. Every other piece, including a sibling's or a child's, comes out different.
What do real customers say about DesigNA?
You can read verified reviews on Trustpilot, and the product reviews on each piece's page are collected through Judge.me from real orders. We never write our own. The words that come up most are about the box, the certificate and the fact that the piece could not have been anyone else's.
Who is behind DesigNA?
Oliver Sullivan founded DesigNA in Durham in 2025 and still answers customer emails himself. He is a First Class Economics graduate of Loughborough University. The company is Double Strand Ltd, company number 15005294. the About page has the story.
What buyers say
Real words from real buyers.
★★★★★
Simple ordering process and lovely team behind the products. Very helpful service.
Lucy Squires verified on Trustpilot★★★★★
Gift box looks amazing, can't wait to give it to my mum as a Christmas present. So unique and special.
Paula Scott verified on Trustpilot★★★★★
Customer service and quality of product was fantastic! Beautifully packaged and makes for an exceptionally unique gift
C All verified on Trustpilot★★★★★
My Daughter loved it
Olly Barton verified on Trustpilot
Every quote here can be checked on the live Trustpilot profile.
The piece itself
Stones, metal, box and what it is not.
What is the difference between DesigNA and a DNA ancestry test?
An ancestry test reads hundreds of thousands of points on your genome to estimate where your family came from. DesigNA reads 23 identity markers, the same kind used in identity testing, which say who you are and nothing else. There is no ancestry, no health and no trait information in the reading, and the result is a pattern for a piece of jewellery, not a report. the science page explains the difference.
Does DesigNA use real gemstones and hallmarked metal?
Yes. The stones are natural semi precious stones, 4mm on necklaces and twisted bracelets and 2mm on the fine bracelets, from established UK suppliers. The silver is 925 hallmarked sterling, the Gold DNA Profile Necklace uses 9ct hallmarked gold batons and clasp, and the gold on the pattern pieces is gold filled, a thick bonded layer rather than plating. Pearls are genuine freshwater pearls.
What is in the box?
A matte black outer box with the gold DesigNA helix. Inside, the signed certificate sits on top, then a navy sleeve, then the black jewellery box with the piece laid in a double helix curve, with the oval DesigNA tag at the clasp end. Both the kit and the finished piece travel by free UK tracked delivery.
Can a DesigNA piece be remade if it is lost?
Only from a new swab. The laboratory destroys the sample and we delete the marker data after your piece arrives, so there is nothing kept to remake from. A replacement means a new kit and a new reading, which comes out the same because your profile does not change. Keep the certificate: it is yours and it records the design.
Giving one
Made for the occasions that matter.
Occasion
Christmas
Order by Sunday 15 November 2026 for a finished piece under the tree.
Christmas giftsOccasion
Anniversaries
Made from the person you chose, or a pair from each of you.
Anniversary giftsOccasion
Birthdays
A birthday present that could only ever be theirs.
Birthday gifts
Ordering
Giving it, timing and where we are.
Is DNA jewellery a good gift?
It is the one gift that cannot be bought for anyone else. You give the kit, boxed, and the person takes their own thirty second cheek swab; the finished piece follows with its certificate. It suits birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, Christmas, Mother's Day and Valentine's, and the gift page has a page for each. The DesigNA gift card from £50 covers a date that is too close.
How long does a DesigNA piece take, and what does it cost?
The kit reaches you in 2 to 3 working days. The piece takes 2 to 3 weeks from the day the laboratory has the swab, so about 3 to 4 weeks in all when the swab goes back promptly. Bracelets are £179 to £229, necklaces £249 to £299 with the Gold DNA Profile Necklace at £699, and the DNA Representation Pendant is £80 with no swab needed.
Is DesigNA a UK company?
Yes. DesigNA is the trading name of Double Strand Ltd, founded in Durham in 2025, with its registered office inside the Durham Genome Centre in Lanchester, County Durham. The laboratory work and the making both happen in the UK, and every piece ships with free UK tracked delivery. Browse DNA necklaces and DNA bracelets.
For someone unrepeatable
Choose your piece. Your DNA writes the rest.
Bracelets from £179. Necklaces from £249. Gold from £699. Every piece certified and made in the UK.