Love is not the only motivator behind her business, Pixie Printz. She was also frustrated.
Carrie Stanley was on the lookout for a fingerprint jewelry company that could help her turn her daughters fingerprints into treasured jewelry. Her 4 year old daughter, Leiryn, has cancer, and she wanted to create something truly unique that would last a lifetime. Unfortunately, all the companies she found listed outrageous prices. She eventually found a company with reasonable costs, but she knew that there had to be a better way, reports Observer & Eccentric.
The charms are made of precious metal clay (PMC) that is individually shaped, imprinted, sanded, fired, coated with a chemical to highlight the imprint, and then polished. The entire process takes over an hour of hands-on work, and overnight to allow for firing and cooling. Elements allowing the silver to be pliable are burned away during the firing process, leaving a pure silver charm.
The exuberant Pixie Printz owner and founder is now on a mission. She doesn’t want any family facing the loss of a loved one to be unable to obtain this one-of-a-kind keepsake because of the cost.
â€To have that unique portion of a family member captured in precious metal to me, is priceless,†said Stanley. And literally, priceless is what she’s determined to make it.
In addition to, and in conjunction with Pixie Printz, Stanley has formed Imprints of the Heart, a separate business intended to be nonprofit, that offers to make up to two fingerprinted charms for families with a terminally ill loved one, free of charge.
To fund Imprints of the Heart Stanley dedicates 10 percent of Pixie Printz profits and accepts donations.
Image from Pixie Printz