PETALING JAYA, Sept 1 — A Canada-based jeweller has made the euphemism “pearl necklace” literal with her semen-based jewellery.
Amanda Booth recently gained attention on TikTok after she posted several videos experimenting with the idea, along with the results of her process.
Her first video documenting the process has since gained almost six million views.
@amandaldbooth Stay tuned for results I guess
original sound - Amanda Booth
Booth, who is also a sculptor, has long incorporated unusual materials in her polymer clay trinkets — such as using cremation ashes for memorial jewellery.
“We can incorporate almost anything from breastmilk, cremated remains (ashes), hair, animal fur or hair, dried umbilical cord, dried placenta, grave dirt, dried flowers, strips of cloth etc,” Booth’s website, Trinkets By Amanda Booth, states.
@amandaldbooth #dog #puppy Under Giant Trees - Agnes Obel
She also makes items without the use of bodily fluids; a recent creation shared on social media was a custom-made Harry Potter-themed chess set.
@amandaldbooth IT IS FINALLY FINISHED!!!!
Harry Potter - The Intermezzo Orchestra
According to Vice, the idea for semen-infused jewellery began with a comment Booth received on TikTok asking if she’d consider using “man juices” in her work.
Booth jokingly shared the idea on Facebook, and started receiving serious inquiries from customers.
After testing out the process with samples from her husband Jesse Mullin, she learnt that “at least a teaspoon” of semen is needed to make the concept work.
The semen is first dehydrated into powder-form and then mixed with clay, before being turned into beads or sculpted into designs.
What Booth was unprepared for in this new endeavour however, was the smell.
“Fresh samples are one thing, but when they’ve been in the mail for a little bit, I mean... it smells like semen, you know what I mean?” Booth told Vice on Tuesday (Aug 30).
While Booth told the outlet that she’s been receiving plenty of orders for semen-based jewellery, not everyone has warmed up to the idea.
“I’ve received so much judgement over the last week, which was to be expected, and I've developed a pretty thick skin,” she said on TikTok in early August.
“All I can do is hope that enough people will appreciate me for me.”
She appears to be taking recent media coverage of her in stride — her latest video shows her reacting to news headlines along with a voiceover saying: “I fear I may have ‘girl-bossed’ a bit too close to the sun”.
@amandaldbooth #greenscreen original sound - Carol.ine3
