A gemstone cap that can read your mind

Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator takes a look at a new headpiece designed by U.K.-based fashion house The Unseen, which is covered in gemstones that respond to brain activity by changing color.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

As a child of the ‘90s, I was big on the mood ring. Not to be deterred by the fact that they were basically always either dark blue or green no matter how I was feeling, they were a chosen accessory for me for a while when I was young.

So when I saw an article on Huffington Post titled “This Gemstone Cap, Which Changes Color According To Brain Activity, Is The Mood Ring Of The Future,” naturally I had to click through. (In case the multitude of articles posted online and spread through social media haven’t somehow clued you in, we Millenials love to reminisce about the heyday of our childhood and the things we grew up with, what toys were popular back then, what cereals we were eating, and much more. So how could I not read the story that was going to update me on the modern-day mood ring?)

What I found was even cooler than I expected (other reactions when I shared the content included “creepy”). U.K.-based fashion studio The Unseen, led by Lauren Bowker, partnered with Swarovski to create a headpiece made of gemstones that change color in response to brain activity.

Fashion studio The Unseen, led by Lauren Bowker, designed this cap that is covered in black spinel gemstones that respond to brain activity through color change.

According to The Unseen, more than 4,000 black spinel stones were used for the cap, chosen for their composition--“being similar to that found in the human bone,” the studio’s website says, a factor that makes the gemstone compatible with humans and enabling “each stone when worn to act as a conduction insulator, absorbing energy loss from the head.”

The stones were grown in Swarovski’s lab to ensure uniformity throughout for qualities like shape and symmetry.

“When worn the headpiece becomes a reflection of the inner human thought,” The Unseen said.

The stones cover the top of the headdress on overlapping layers of leather. They are covered with a signature ink that was designed by Bowker to respond to different environmental factors, which enables the stones to visualize the energy loss with a color-change gradient--black, orange, red, green, blue, and purple. The stones absorb the energy loss and change color accordingly.

Excitement, fear, and anxiety all would create different colors on the stones, and quicker shifts in emotion produce a more dramatic pattern on the cap.

Banner will be right here …

I think this is one of the more fascinating combinations between technology, science and accessories that I’ve seen. Local news reports that The Unseen will unveil the cap at London Fashion Week this month. I’d love to see the action in person, but unfortunately, I think for now I’m stuck with mood rings. What do you think? I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.