This paper addresses a design exploration focusing on interactive jewelry conducted with newcome LGBT+ immigrants in Sweden, leading to a necklace named PoWo that is “powered” by the spoken word through a mobile application that reacts to customizable keywords triggering LED-lights in the necklace. Interactive jewelry is in this paper viewed as a medium with a simultaneous relation to wearer and spectator thus affording use on the themes of symbolism, emotion, body and communication. These themes are demonstrated through specific use scenarios of the necklace relating to the participants of the design exploration e.g. addressing consent, societal issues, meeting situations and expressions of love and sexuality. 

The potential of speech based interactive jewelry is investigated in this paper e.g. finding speech recognition in LED-jewelry to act as an amplifier of spoken words, actions and meaning; and as a visible extension of the smartphone and human body. In addition use qualities of visibility, ambiguity, continuity and fluency are discussed in relation to speech based LED-jewelry.