A MOTHER has set up a jewellery business to help parents commemorate their children's younger years.

Smallprint, based in Sunderland, produces silver jewellery embellished with youngsters' fingerprints as a lasting memento for their parents.

The business, the only one of its kind in the North-East, was set up by Eva Opiela.

Ms Opiela, who has a nine-month-old daughter, Amelia, said: "It is nice for people to have an alternative to what's in the shops. Most of my new customers have seen someone else wearing a piece of my jewellery and want their own as the design is so unusual.

"The idea isn't just for babies, it is an ideal gift for any occasion, for a relative or just as a memento for the parent."

The jewellery is made from metal clay, which is rolled, and the child's fingerprint is pressed into place to create the print.

Each item is sanded, fired in a kiln and finished to form a piece of jewellery that is pure silver.

Polish-born Ms Opiela said her daughter had been inspirational in getting the business off the ground.

"Amelia is my little helper, because I use her fingers when I make examples of my work," she said.

"I get to spend lots of time with her as she is most important to me but still get to do something that makes me feel good about myself and earn my own money."