WASHINGTON — Cathy Hackl is the founder of Verse Lux, a label that incorporates tech, fashion, and luxury. She designed a line of jewelry called the Frillz Collection.
The collection is small, comprised of only 200 pieces. What makes these pieces of jewelry so special is what is on the inside. Hackl infused NFC chips into necklaces and bracelets.
“What we ended up doing was bracelets and necklaces, and at the center of everything we do is the tech,” Hackl said.
So how does this jewelry work?
"You have the NFC chip — so if I have my phone I can actually scan this and then it's minted on the internet, on the blockchain. So what that means is that this physical asset will have a virtual counterpart forever on the internet that are tied together that proves that I own this. That this is the real item that I bought,” Hackl said.
This technology can be useful for items that are passed down in your family or items purchased and sold by celebrities. You will have a digital ledger that shows exactly who had that item, when they had it and if it’s authentic or not.
Best of all, the metals used to create this line are sourced in an environmentally friendly way and is expected to cut down on overconsumption of fast fashion jewelry.
“I also think that if you can buy items in limited amount, that will incentivize people to maybe buy less,” Hackl said.