This High-Tech Jewelry Could Save Your Life; One Touch Sends Alert to Your ‘Protective Circle’

February 25th, 2014

Imagine a piece of high-tech jewelry that could instantly alert your “protective circle” of a potential emergency while transmitting a map of your exact location. Cuff, a line of wearable technology whose tagline is "smart, elegant security," got a big boost last week with a feature spot on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

GMA viewers learned that the magic behind the new line of jewelry is the CuffLinc, a coin-sized wireless device that can be hidden in bracelets, necklaces and keychains. GPS-enabled and connected to the user’s smartphone via Bluetooth, the CuffLinc alert is activated by the wearer with a tap of the finger.

Using a simple app, Cuff wearers invite friends and family members to join their “Cuff Circle.” When a user presses on her jewelry, the CuffLinc sends out an alert and an exact location to the smartphones of each circle member. Any member also wearing a Cuff product will feel the jewelry vibrating.

Users can program their Cuffs with different alerts for different people (i.e., three taps to alert the babysitter, a single tap to alert one’s husband).

“It’s a little bit like an insurance policy to make sure you’re always connected and you’re also always available when other people need you,” Cuff founder Deepa Sood told GMA.

The CuffLinc is removable and can be placed in any of the Cuff products, which include bracelets, necklaces and key chains. The company claims that the CuffLinc chip can last a year without needing to be charged.

Trendspotters believe that wearable technology has the potential be a huge growth category. “Wearables are absolutely the future,” said Jane Buckingham, CEO of Trendera. “We’re going to see more and more of them. They are only going to be more integrated into who we are and what we do. This is absolutely only the beginning.”

In fact, a recent survey conducted by the Jewelry Consumer Opinion Council revealed that 44% of respondents would be interested in jewelry with smart features, such as unlocking doors, storing passwords or keeping them safe.