Just about everyone appreciates beautiful jewelry; the sparkle, the color, and the elegant impression it creates. But did you know some jewelry is designed to save your life? It's called medical jewelry, and it's worth knowing about, particularly if you have a life-threatening medical condition (or know someone who does).

The idea behind medical jewelry is simple; make sure doctors, nurses, emergency responders, and other medical professionals have easy access to accurate medical information when an emergency arises. Medical jewelry is typically in the form of a bracelet, although it can also be a pendant, watch, key ring. And since it comes in relatively few types, it's easy for medical personnel to find.

Standardization of medical jewelry, at least of the format of medical information, means emergency responders receive critical information before administering drugs, which can save your life if, for example, you have drug allergies or adverse reactions.

Medical jewelry can come in almost any design (and price range), but it should always have the special medical symbol prominently displayed so medical professionals can easily find it, otherwise what's the use? The symbol you see next to Ed's name (above) is called the Caduceus.

The first question that comes to mind is, who should have a medical bracelet? While anyone can certainly benefit from this jewelry, there are some folks who should obviously have it. Diabetics, epileptics, folks with drug allergies, folks who have pacemakers, basically anyone with a serious medical condition that emergency responders should know about. Also, anyone taking a prescription can benefit, to avoid drug interactions.

There's really no specific age group who must have a medical bracelet, although we're all getting older and are more likely to require one. But young children, teenagers, and adults may need one, depending on their medical conditions. Teenagers like Ed's designs because they are stylish.

The second question that comes to mind is, how much do they cost? Prices are all over the map, just like regular jewelry, and you can easily pay more than you should if you're not careful. Think about pricing like this:

• The symbol and the information contained within the bracelet add almost nothing to the cost.
• The precious metals and jewels used in the bracelet are priced as commodities, meaning the actual amounts of each used in any medical bracelet should cost about the same from jeweler to jeweler (but never assume this is true).
• The design, workmanship, and customer service and support provide the remainder of the value.

In terms of workmanship, it really depends on whether you're dealing with a jeweler or an assembly line. Some companies sell bracelets made from the poorest quality materials, stamped out like disposable plastic picnic-ware. There's a certain logic to this, as the discount stores want to minimize their cost and maximize their profit. But you can do better. Again, a good example of excellent workmanship at low cost is the medical jewelry at Claudia's Jewelry.

Ed personally creates and can engraves all the medical jewelry sold here, and he makes sure the workmanship is top-notch. He uses a state-of-the-art computer operated engraving machine that actually removes the metal for a sharper and longer lasting engraving. He can also adjust the length of most bracelets at no additional charge. He doesn't produce a million pieces a day, so he can take personal pride in each piece he sells.