We welcome technology into our lives for its convenience, but it often brings unintended consequences: declining mental health, excessive screen time and an increasing craving for constant digital stimulation over real-world experiences. Enter the Light Ring from Spktrl, a new AI-powered diamond ring that sheds light on a way out of this cycle.
The smart ring that filters your notifications so you don’t have to
Spktrl is the brainchild of Katia de Lasteyrie, a former innovation lead at luxury brand LVMH. Her idea for Spktrl was simple: create a piece of smart tech that looks like high-end jewelry and also helps people spend less time glued to their phones.
The Spktrl Light Ring is a sleek piece of wearable technology centered around a stunning 1.5-carat lab-grown diamond. It challenges traditional ideas of both tech gadgets and fine jewelry, blending minimalist design with architectural elegance.
But this diamond is far more than just a sparkling centerpiece. It serves as a functional interface, diffusing colored light to signal important smartphone notifications and transmitting Bluetooth radio frequencies. Like a secret kept close, the ring remains subtle, only revealing its smart features when you choose to bridge the gap between your physical and digital worlds.
Green, blue, purple—instantly decode your notifications with Spktrl
Using a system of color-coded lights—green for work, blue for family, and purple for social—the ring signifies the importance of incoming calls or messages at a glance. Instead of constantly checking your phone, you simply glance at your finger to decide if a notification warrants your attention in any given moment.
Spktrl embodies a harmonious fusion of masterful craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, symbolizing how our human stories now unfold seamlessly across both tangible and virtual landscapes, creating an experience that is as effortless as it is profound.
Spktrl builds on the early premise introduced by devices like the Apple Watch in streamlining the smartphone experience. But it takes a significant leap forward. By integrating AI, the ring filters out the digital noise that still clutters our attention, helping users stay focused on what truly matters. In a world overwhelmed by constant, often meaningless, alerts, Spktrl offers a quiet reprieve from the chaos.
Living in the notification economy, where screens are changing us all
If a teen’s phone were a CEO, it’d be running a Fortune 500 company—nonstop notifications, nonstop buzz. From texts to TikTok, hundreds of alerts hit them every day.
Grown-ups call it overload; teens call it “just another day.” According to a 2023 study by Common Sense Media, teens get as many as 237 or more notifications on their smartphones every day. And, back in 2021, another study found that teens spend about eight and a half hours daily on screens. Tweens, who are between 8 and 12 years old, also spend quite a bit of time on screens—about five and a half hours daily.
It’s not just teenagers glued to their phones either. Adults, too, are becoming part of a mobile-first culture that can border on compulsion for many. Smartphone addiction is no longer just an abstract fear; it’s a documented and diagnosable issue. Known as nomophobia, this condition captures the modern anxiety of being disconnected, even momentarily, from our digital lives.
Notifications, messages, and likes act as digital triggers for the brain’s dopamine system, which is responsible for processing reward and pleasure. This biochemical response not only provides a brief sense of satisfaction but also encourages repeated device engagement by strengthening neural pathways that associate smartphone use with a good time.
Free your mind while AI filters your digital noise
But as screens claim more and more of our time, the next generation is growing up in a world where face-to-face connection is no longer the norm, but the exception—cut nearly in half. For many of us, half our waking lives now unfold in another universe entirely, one made of scrolling timelines, glowing notifications and endless digital noise. As AI rises, a deeper question surfaces: Can technology enrich our lives without replacing the ones we’re meant to live?
Spktrl offers an answer. Beautifully crafted as a piece of luxury jewelry, this smart ring doesn’t shout for your attention. Instead, it gently filters your notifications with soft, color-coded lights, helping you stay present and focused without losing touch. It’s technology designed not to overwhelm, but to harmonize with your life.
Photo from spktrl-paris.com
