Crystal Keepsake of Babies' Hands and Feet Now Available in U.S.

CHICAGO, March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Any parent knows the time spent with a newborn baby is precious and fleeting. As children grow, so does the need to preserve memories from those special moments in time.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080305/NYFNST01)

One unusual way is offered by Sweden-based LifeStone, the only company in the world to make castings of babies' hands and/or feet in genuine Swedish crystal, http://www.lifestone.com.

"Every parent, grandparent or close friend is looking for something memorable to give at a baby shower, as a christening gift to the newborn baby or as a keepsake for new parents," says Katinka Bille Lindahl, CEO, founder and mother of four.

The idea came to Lindahl 12 years ago, when her son showed her his dental imprint. She realized that was far from a desirable memento. Lindahl spent years researching and testing different materials and methods for a better keepsake.

Finally, she found a way to produce a beautiful, timeless memento of newborn babies' tiny hands and feet, handcrafted in Swedish crystal.

Today, LifeStone receives orders from thousands of new parents worldwide, and is now available in select stores in Illinois, Florida, Massachusetts, New York and Hawaii. The imprint kits can also be purchased directly at http://www.lifestone.com.

This is how it works: at home, the customer presses the baby's hand and/or foot into a soft and pliable, ready-made mold and send the imprint to LifeStone. Artisans at LifeStone work with its exclusive glassworks partner, in a detailed, multi-phased process to create each casting -- which typically take seven weeks to produce -- by hand.

Customers can choose between various models in the shape of a heart, shell, block or arch. The price for the imprint kit is $15 and the crystal castings range from $625 for one imprint to $715 for two imprints.

About LifeStone

LifeStone(TM), a small woman-owned company, was founded in 1995 to create high-quality, commemorative castings of babies' hands and feet. LifeStone, situated on a small island of the West coast of Sweden, is the only company in the world that creates baby castings in Swedish crystal. For more information and photos, please refer to http://www.lifestone.com.