Is this too cool for school or what? When I first read about this company, I immediate thought that they were one among many these days that are making photos into charms, literally taking the photo and placing it in a frame of some kind. Now, don't get me wrong. I like that type of jewelry too, but these folks have a whole different take on the idea of charms and photographs.

This is how it works according to Yahoo.com:

An emerging fashion trend is providing family heirloom jewelry with a much-needed facelift. While photo-lockets were the tradition of past generations, today's women are sporting 3-dimensional, precious metal charms created from their precious loved ones' photos.

St. Louis jewelry designer Joel Ragan calls the new line "Baby Faces." Available at http://www.babyfaces.com , Ragan transforms photos into 3-D custom pendants for clients who call them heirlooms. [...]

Using computer technology, Ragan creates a 3-dimensional image from the child's photograph. He then transfers the image to a computer-aided milling machine, which carves a model of the charm from a block of wax. Finally, Ragan's custom jewelers take the wax model and cast it into silver, gold, or platinum Baby Faces charms, starting at $179.

They also have gift certificates available, so if you think this might be a good gift for someone but don't have a picture of their baby, this might be an option for you.