The Story Behind the Stone: Connected on your own terms

The exploding market for wearables, or smart jewelry and accessories is set to eclipse recent projections due to an ever widening consumer base that is embracing the connected niche. Wearable technology as it’s also referred to, allows user to stay in touch with what matters most to them – but completely on their own terms. Today, the accessories include connected clutch bags, men’s accessories and of course jewelry. This particular sector is melding fashion with function for some outstanding results.

One innovative smart jewelry company gaining a lot of traction is Ringly; keeping women connected to the people, messages and apps that are most important to them. Ringly’s product line started with rings and soon expanded to bracelets. They are embellished with exotic gemstones like labradorite, tourmalated quartz, rainbow moonstone, lapis, blue lace agate, and snowflake obsidian. Their sleek collection integrates with over 100 apps, including Uber, Slack, WhatsApp, eBay, Snapchat, and so many more.

Ringly founder Christina Mercando d’Avignon chatted with us recently about the exciting fusion of jewelry to high-tech.

SJN: How has the market responded to your product line? Were there any surprises on your end as to what are the most popular items with shoppers?

CMD: We’ve received great feedback from our community. Our customers have been a big part of how our product line and brand has grown. They share their comments, and we listen.

SJN: What specific demographic finds your collections most exciting and relevant?

CMD: The Ringly woman is smart, ambitious, stylish and fun. She doesn’t want to miss important calls, texts or notifications. She’s influenced by word of mouth from friends and colleagues, fashion magazines, blogs and social media. She shops online and offline at both high-end department stores, local boutiques and specialty retailers. She appreciates simplicity, balance and soaking up experiences. Ringly appeals to her fashion first, technology second.

SJN: Is consumer response informing where your collection is headed?

CMD: We love listening to our customers for feedback on gemstones and styles. When we launched our bracelet collection, we received a lot of comments asking for a silver version so we quickly iterated and launched 2 new silver styles. You’ll definitely see a lot more designs in upcoming seasons.  

SJN: Your gemstone choices are those that today’s sophisticated jewelry collector are drawn to. Was that deliberate and what drives your product choices in general?

CMD: The different gemstones we’ve selected and our styles are named after moments in our lives where we don’t want to worry about having our phones out – road trip, out to sea and dive bar are examples. We take a lot of inspiration from the color and quality of different gemstones – it’s our favorite part of the creative and design process!

Award winning trade journalist and gemologist Diana Jarrett is a Registered Master Valuer Appraiser and a member of the Association of Independent Jewellery Valuers (AIJV). She’s a popular speaker at conferences and trade shows. Jarrett writes for trade and consumer publications, online outlets, her blog: Color-n-Ice, and www.jewelrywebsitedesigners.com. Contact her at info@dianajarrett.com, visit her website at www.dianajarrett.com, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter (Loupey).