Mexico’s new smart jewelry helps improve women’s safety

World Today

Mexico's new smart jewelry helps improve women's safety

Pepper spray and stun guns are not the only tools women can use to protect themselves from violence. Another more sparkling option, a panic button designed as jewelry, is under development in Mexico.

CCTV-America’s Franc Contreras reports.

This family-operated start-up in Morelia, Mexico, calls itself Geek and Chic. The kitchen table is their boardroom. The table near the front door is their showroom. And their living room doubles as the production center for hand-made “smart jewelry”, which was designed to offer women more protection.

Founder and CEO, David Alvarez, raised capital with crowd-funding, and finds buyers for these products, each of which features a discrete button that sends alert signals and messages to preselected cellphone contacts and used GPS.

“The vision for our jewelry products is to empower people so that they can live without fear and with courage,” Alvarez said.

Early product development focuses on creating attractive bracelets and necklaces.

“It requires much dedication, and love really. Each piece, each design must have personality,” Marisol Alvarez, the designer of the company, said.

Start-up expert Marcus Dantus said by first finding a market, Geek and Chic is on the right track.

“Now they need to make sure they can actually do this idea. So that’s the step they are in. This is better than if they do it the other way around,” said Dantus.

Alvarez also said the security in their hometown has been improving.

Still, this start-up company is moving forward with the knowledge that people everywhere are seeking new, high-tech ways to protect themselves.