Daniela Groza and Declan McLaughlin have created what they believe is the world’s first hearing-aid jewelry, and the couple hopes their new company, Auzi, will become globally recognized for its innovation.
Groza and McLaughlin blended her jewelry design experience and his lifelong understanding of the challenges faced by people who wear hearing aids to create a bejeweled case to cover a hearing aid when it is worn.
“Before starting Auzi, I used to only wear one hearing aid when I needed two due to the stigma I felt,” says McLaughlin, who was frustrated by the lack of fashionable hearing-aid designs, which he says haven’t changed since he was a boy. “As a hearing-aid wearer all my life, I’ve never found a way to make them look anything less than clinical.”
Auzi’s hearing-aid covers transforms these utilitarian devices—which are typically plain, neutral-toned, and meant to be not noticeable—into statement pieces, and allows wearers to personalize their hearing aids with precious metals and gemstones such as rubies, sapphires, and diamonds.
“By making hearing aids a symbol of pride and style, we’re redefining how people relate to them, making them a natural extension of their identity,” Groza says. “For us, beauty and price were nonnegotiable components in our design process.”
Auzi offers more than 60 different design combinations for its hearing-aid jewelry cases and can work with clients to custom-design a case. Metals available include silver and 9k and 18k yellow or rose gold.
“We wanted Auzi to empower people, making them feel confident and proud to show off their hearing aids, rather than feeling like they had to hide them,” says Groza. “The beauty of our pieces helps challenge the stigma around hearing aids, turning them into something people want to wear and celebrate as a fine piece of jewelry.”
Groza and McLaughlin met five years ago at an Entrepreneurship Society event at Edinburgh University. They connected because both believe businesses can be meaningful as well as profitable. Groza got her bachelor’s degree in jewelry and silversmithing from Edinburgh University, studied gemology at GIA, and worked for several jewelry brands in London, where Auzi is based.
McLaughlin has held various commercial positions at health tech businesses, and founded a nonprofit organization that funds international trips for Scottish startup and scale-up companies to key places like New York City and California’s Silicon Valley.
The Auzi founders would like to partner with hearing clinics to offer bespoke jeweled cases for popular hearing-aid models, Groza says. They want their company to become known as a luxury brand that turns hearing aids into works of art, and Groza says they plan to expand Auzi’s reach from London into such markets as Paris, New York, and the UAE.
They also want to work with sponsors to create custom pieces to donate to those most in need, furthering Auzi’s mission to empower hearing-aid wearers.
In time, they hope to create fully customizable hearing aids, using precious materials and integrating AI for adaptive functionality. Auzi would collaborate with manufacturers to combine style and technology while maintaining the brand’s commitment to quality and eco-friendliness, Groza says.
That’s a lot, she acknowledges, but she and McLaughlin feel it’s all possible.
“In five years, we see Auzi becoming a household name, recognized globally for innovation in both the tech and luxury space,” says Groza.
(Photos courtesy of Auzi)
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