What if your necklace pulsed with your heartbeat? What if your ring glowed a different color depending on who was nearby? At Maker Faire Bay Area, Charlyn Gonda invited us to imagine and build.

Charlyn Gonda occupies a rare intersection: she is simultaneously a maker, a coder, and a jewelry artist. Her talk at last year’s Maker Faire Bay Area wove all three identities together into a presentation as layered and luminous as her creations themselves. The central argument was simple and compelling, LEDs don’t belong only in circuits or screens. They belong on your body.

From Delicate Rings to Interactive Bags

Gonda’s own portfolio spans a remarkable range. There are pendants and delicate rings in which a single NeoPixel nestles beneath a translucent resin gem, cycling through colors so slowly you almost think you’re imagining it.…