The Tear Collection Kit allows you to collect a real tear and return it to Imaginarium of Tears, where it is prepared, examined under the microscope and transformed into a unique photographic artwork.
Here you can find practical information about receiving and returning your kit, processing your tear, the available artwork formats and what happens after your sample arrives.
Processing & delivery
How long does it take to receive my Tear Collection Kit?
After placing your order, we prepare your Tear Collection Kit and notify you when it has been sent.
Delivery time depends on your country, the postal service and possible customs processing. In most cases, the kit should arrive within approximately two weeks after dispatch, although international shipments can occasionally take longer.
How long does it take for my returned kit to reach you?
Return time depends on your country and the postal service you choose. The sooner your Tear Collection Kit reaches us, the sooner we can begin processing your tear.
We strongly recommend using a tracked or track-and-trace service when returning your sample.
How long does it take to process my tear?
Turning a collected tear into a microscopic artwork is a careful and labour-intensive process. Preparing, examining and photographing an individual sample can take several hours.
We aim to complete your microscopic tear artwork within approximately two weeks after receiving your returned kit. During busy periods there may be a processing backlog because every tear is handled individually.
What happens after my tear has been processed?
Once your tear has been successfully prepared and photographed under the microscope, we create the final image of your unique microscopic structure and notify you by email.
Digital artworks can then be delivered electronically. Print and Artwork versions are sent to our professional production partner before the finished physical work is shipped to you.
When will I receive my finished artwork?
The Digital version can be delivered after the microscopic image has been completed. Physical Print and Artwork versions require additional production and shipping time.
Final delivery therefore depends on the selected format, production time, your destination and the postal service.
Tear Collection Kit versions
Every Tear Collection Kit allows you to collect a personal tear and have it transformed into a microscopic artwork. The version you choose determines how you receive the finished work.
Digital version
Your collected tear is prepared and photographed under the microscope and delivered as a high-resolution digital artwork.
- Microscopic preparation and photography of your tear
- Digital JPG file
- 2000 × 2000 pixels
- 300 dpi
- Suitable for personal printing up to approximately 20 × 20 cm
Print version
The Print version combines your digital tear artwork with a professionally produced physical photographic print.
- Microscopic preparation and photography of your tear
- Digital JPG file, 2000 × 2000 pixels at 300 dpi
- 40 × 40 cm photographic print
Artwork version
The Artwork version turns your microscopic tear image into a finished physical artwork ready to display.
- Microscopic preparation and photography of your tear
- Digital JPG file, 2000 × 2000 pixels at 300 dpi
- 40 × 40 cm fine-art photographic print
- Mounted on 3 mm Dibond
- Matte finish
- Hanging support system
Collecting & returning your tear
What is included in the Tear Collection Kit?
The kit contains the materials needed to collect, preserve and return your tear sample.
- Collection instructions
- Reaction tube
- Three collection pipettes
- Return packaging
How do I collect my tear?
Use the supplied pipettes to collect the tear fluid according to the instructions provided with your kit. The collected tear is transferred into the reaction tube, which is then closed and packaged for return.
Following the instructions carefully helps protect the sample and gives us the best possible starting point for microscopy.
How should I return my Tear Collection Kit?
Follow the collection, packaging and return instructions supplied with your kit and make sure the reaction tube is securely packaged.
We recommend sending the kit using a tracked postal service. This makes the return shipment traceable and reduces the risk of your sample becoming lost during transport.
Who is responsible for the kit during return shipping?
You are responsible for the Tear Collection Kit until it has arrived at Imaginarium of Tears. We cannot take responsibility for a return shipment that is lost by the postal service before reaching us.
Once the kit arrives, we notify you and take responsibility for your tear sample from that point onward.
Do I need customs documentation?
If you are returning your Tear Collection Kit internationally, particularly from outside the European Union, customs documentation may be required.
Please follow the current requirements of your local postal service and customs authority when preparing the return shipment.
I lost my Tear Collection Kit or part of it. What should I do?
If your kit, reaction tube, pipettes or another essential component is lost before your tear has been processed, please contact us with your original order information.
Once we have verified your order, we can determine whether a replacement component or complete replacement kit is required.
Can I upgrade my Tear Collection Kit?
The version selected when ordering determines how your finished artwork will normally be delivered.
If you would prefer another format, contact us as early as possible. Depending on the stage of processing or production, additional options may still be available.
I lost the manual. What should I do?
Contact us before collecting or returning your tear. We can provide the collection instructions again so that your sample can be handled and packaged correctly.
About your tear artwork
What happens to my tear in the studio?
After your kit arrives, the tear sample is prepared for microscopy. The sample is examined and photographed at microscopic scale, revealing structures that cannot normally be seen with the naked eye.
The resulting microscopic image forms the basis of your personal artwork.
Is every tear artwork unique?
Yes. Every artwork begins with an individual collected tear. During preparation and drying, microscopic structures emerge within the sample, and these patterns vary from tear to tear.
Your finished artwork therefore originates directly from the tear you collected and returned to Imaginarium of Tears.
Is the artwork really made from my own tear?
Yes. The tear collected with your Tear Collection Kit is the sample that is prepared and photographed to create your personal microscopic artwork.
Can I give a Tear Collection Kit as a gift?
Yes. The Tear Collection Kit can be given to someone who would like to collect a tear connected to a personal or meaningful moment and have it transformed into a microscopic artwork.
Can I collect a tear during a wedding, birth or memorial?
Yes. Tears can be collected during many kinds of meaningful moments, including weddings, births, farewells, memorials, reunions or other personal experiences.
The tear can later become a microscopic artwork connected to that particular moment.
Can I order another print of my tear artwork?
Depending on the artwork and available formats, additional prints or finished artworks may be available after your original tear has been processed.
Contact us with your original order information and we can tell you which options are available.
Still have a question?
If your question concerns ordering a Tear Collection Kit, collecting or returning your tear, an existing order, processing, delivery or your finished artwork, please contact Imaginarium of Tears.
If you already have an order, include your order number where possible so we can help you more quickly.