LeeAnn Herreid is known for jewelry that, quite literally, works. Herreid, the owner of a company called Individual Icons in Warren, R.I., takes her inspiration from tools. Her designs include Phillips-head cufflinks, compass rings, magnifying-glass necklaces, and a cuff bracelet based on a stainless-steel ruler.

The ruler bracelet began to take shape in Herreid’s mind as she admired an old machinist’s ruler at a friend’s house. “I thought: ‘Why, that’s the same size as a cuff bracelet,’” she remembers. “You would think that I would have already thought about making other tools, but new ideas kept popping up from ordinary places.”

Herreid’s fans are an eclectic group. They range in age from 20 to 70 and include architects and carpenters—no surprise there—as well as doctors and … entomologists. “Twice now this has happened,” says Herreid about the last group. “Insect experts have bought the ruler bracelet so they could measure insects in the field.”

Herreid’s sterling and stainless-steel tool-inspired line retails for $35–$250. She exhibits at the New York International Gift Show and also sells wholesale. For information, call (401) 247-7867 or visit www.leeannherreid.com.