Ramona Quincey,
Jewelry Artist

PressureBands were born out of necessity, really. Back in the Spring of 2019 I was eight weeks pregnant with my beautiful daughter, and I was wearing those ugly, gray elastic nausea bands 24/7. They were the only thing that helped me get through my first trimester without being constantly nauseous. The problem was, I had a wedding to attend and I wasn’t ready to announce my pregnancy to the world yet. How could I keep my pregnancy private if I had to explain my less-than-decorative accessory to everyone?

After searching everywhere for acupressure bands that looked more like jewelry and less like sweat bands, I decided to just try and make my own. I bought some beads at a craft store and got started, using small, circular beads and a large bead to hit the P6 pressure point. They worked, but they hurt. And the longer I wore them, the more they hurt; especially on the bony side of my wrist where the beads dug into my skin. I decided to try some flatter beads for the band, hoping they wouldn’t put pressure on areas that didn’t need pressure. I wore them around for a day and they were perfect! I even got compliments on my bracelets at the wedding.

After the wedding, I began to wear my bracelets everywhere. My doctor even told me I should sell them, but I didn't give it much thought. Then, when COVID-19 shut the world down and I had some extra time (not THAT much extra, with a new baby in the house), I finally got to work on making my nausea relief bands.

I created my first bracelet design, featuring turquoise howlite and silver beads, created my Etsy store and hoped for the best. I ended up selling a lot of bracelets, and quickly. Now, with over 20 styles on Etsy, and a feature from Uncommon Goods, my passion project keeps growing. I love the thought of being able to help people with their nausea so they can get back to enjoying their lives. It looks like there are a lot of people out there who don’t want to advertise their nausea to the world. And who would?