Swizz Beads take Jamaica 'to the worl'

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

For those of you with a fashion-conscious eye, you might have noticed a particular Jamaican-inspired bracelet on the wrist of the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt.

Since arriving in London, his image continues to be splashed across pages and television screens worldwide and will be intensified after his race today regardless of the outcome.

But if you look closer, you will notice the same bracelets on the wrists of all members of the Jamaican Olympic team - thanks to the creative handiwork of Switzerland-born Tiffany Edwards who is the face behind the Swizz Beads line of products.

Edwards actually got the idea of the Jamaica 50-inspired beads from a valued customer who wanted the line for for her gift shop to celebrate Jamaica's 50th. Immediately psyched by the idea, Edwards consulted with her team and came up with the design of the Jamaican flag in the crystals.

She went further and experimented with different colour combinations creating quite a few options. Now fulfilling her childhood dream of living in Jamaica, this 'island' girl is taking it 'to di worl' with her pieces being donned by the world's fastest man. Edwards gushed, "Puma International is to be thanked for giving me this opportunity. The challenge was meeting the deadline as decisions were made just a few weeks before the opening ceremony."

Another challenge for Edwards was finding designs that would suit both men and women using the colours of the Jamaican flag in crystals and semi-precious stones such as matt onyx, lava stone and agate.

The black stones (matt onyx and lava) are extra special as they contain protective energies against negativity. Not a bad thing for the Olympic team to have, especially when competing against world-class athletes! Take a look at the Swizz Beads Jamaica 50 collection.

Beads available at Usain Bolt's Track and Records and on facebook at www.swizzbeads.com.Tel: 506-0624