In the midst of a moms’ night out, a young mother shows off her new necklace – a beautiful oval with a white background and swirled with hues of blue, purple and gold.
“That is gorgeous,” another mother comments, to which the young mother replies, “You won’t believe what it is made of – my unused breast milk!” The reactions range from puzzlement to awe.
That necklace is just one of many unique creations of Rachel Lauer Thomas, a fourth-generation jeweler. Thomas’ great grandfather, Arthur John Lauer, was a watchmaker; her grandfather, Art Lauer, was part of Stout and Lauer Jewelers that served Springfield for many years; her uncle, Brian Lauer, managed AB Lauer Jewelers from 2009-2022; her father, Bruce Lauer, repaired jewelry for Denny’s Jewelers and Lauers and then traveled around the country repairing jewelry. Today, Thomas has her own business, RLT Jewelry, and is proud to own the tools her father and other family members once used.
“I remember watching my dad in the shop, his dirty, calloused hands holding a shiny gold ring,” she said. “I was only allowed to go into the shop for a short time due to all the chemicals, but I loved the time I could see him working.”
An oval pendant designed by Rachel Lauer Thomas that features the mother’s preserved breastmilk.
Thomas made some jewelry as a youth, and when she officially launched RLT in 2018, she asked her father many questions about the business through video chats. “I discovered I really just had an inherent gift and understood how to do certain techniques,” she said. “And I feel blessed to inherit the physical items from my family – books, stones and engraving tools they used.”
While displaying her jewelry at a show, Thomas was approached by a lady who asked if she could make jewelry out of breastmilk. Thomas was intrigued by the idea. With her father and husband helping, she figured out how to turn the milk into stone, making sure it was free of bacteria and held its color. The process takes three days to turn the milk into powder then involves grinding it to set into an acrylic.
“Interestingly, milk has different colors – bluish, greenish, white,” she said. “Much depends on the mother’s diet to provide what the child needs.” Thomas now works with new mothers through Hospital Sisters Health System, and she said she loves having the chance to meet the moms and celebrate their new babies.
Her work expanded to preserving flowers, then ashes, and now she tackles many materials. “The heirloom material is amazing for making memorial pieces,” she said.
She has preserved hair, pet fur, pet ashes, fabrics such as pieces of a wedding dress, sand, shells, a child’s tooth and even placentas, although she does not work with placentas often.
“That is difficult to work with, and many hospitals do not allow mothers to save the material,” she said.
She is working on making a cuff bracelet out of a man’s last, partially smoked cigar, left in his ashtray when he died. From her work area in the basement of her house, she works on items such as repairing a ring that belonged to a client’s grandmother that the client wants to give to her new daughter-in-law. Thomas will repair the broken and worn shank with heirloom gold. She is also creating a wall hanging for a client out of several Mickey Mouse watches, all set to various important dates and times.
In addition, she is creating something more personal for herself. Her business logo is a dove holding a ring with the text “Keepsakes in the Making.” When a client gave her a small diamond and told her to make something for herself, she decided to create a pendant of her logo, using the ring she was given when she lost a baby, along with the diamond.
In addition to the heirloom pieces, Thomas also makes beautiful fine jewelry, using many stones and gems. She is open by appointment and requires a consultation with a client to determine the best design and materials to use for a piece.
“I love making the heirloom pieces, but I also like designing special jewelry for people,” she said.
In a long line of jewelers, Thomas has found her niche, making unique keepsakes.
Cinda Ackerman Klickna is a frequent contributor to Capital City Parent and Illinois Times.
This article appears in Parent Winter 2026.
