4 Pieces of Jewelry-Tech that Blow the iWatch Away

MBFW Spring 2013 - Official Coverage - Best Of Runway Day 4

DVF’s victory lap.

EVER yawn your way through the aisles of Best Buy while your significant other takes two hours picking out the perfect gadget? Ever felt like you deserved jewelry afterwards? Ever wondered if there was a compromise? Whatever your opinion on watches, there’s something fundamentally cool about a piece of jewelry that actually has a function besides generating compliments and turning your skin slightly green. Apple, in typical Apple fashion, is going above and beyond with the unveiling of the much-hyped iWatch. But while the product is undeniably innovative, it’s not entirely unique. There’s a whole slew of glam gadgets out there sparkling under the radar.

MICA
If Marie Antoinette and James Bond ever met, they’d have a passionate affair. And then they’d invent something like this. High-tech meets haute couture with MICA (My Intelligent Communication Accessory), a new line of jewelry designed by Opening Ceremony and engineered by Intel that would allow its wearers to tap away at a sapphire touch screen encrusted with semi-precious stones. Although the details of the products’ full technological capacity will be released this winter, so far this much is clear — MICA is the stuff of secret agents and fashionistas.

QBRACELET
Ever charged your phone and found yourself wishing there was a way to do it in style? OK, me neither. But one look at QBRACELET might just change that. The understated, elegant wrist cuff, which comes in silver, gold, and platinum, seems like your average bangle. Until you snap it in two and attach it to your iPhone. The portable charger not only allows you to keep your phone close at hand, but also doubles as a versatile accessory once the battery’s filled. And it probably brews its own beer on its day off.

CUFF
You know those laughable old Life Alert commercials? “Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!” Yeah, those ones. Well, somehow Cuff Smart Jewelry Co managed to make activity-tracking accessories cool, which is a pretty impressive feat in itself. But they didn’t stop there. Cuff’s array of chic necklaces and bracelets that send out emergency alerts would look more at home in a nightclub than a nursing home. Their gentle vibrating function alerts users when they receive incoming calls and texts too. Which means the next time your man pretends he called, you can just be like “Talk to the necklace, dude.”

Google Glass by Diane von Furstenberg
Google Glasses used to be the quirky trademark of that one guy at your office who works in IT and tucks his sweaters into his khakis. Now they’re cool… kind of. Wrap-dress-clad badass Diane Von Furstenberg is gamely stepping up and doing her damnedest to bring the previously clunky specs up to speed, with a new design that is lighter, sleeker, and considerably less dorky. Less nerd, more sexy librarian. Sexy librarian who likes taking pictures of people without them knowing.

+ Leave a Reply