Teething Bling Combines Fashion with Practicality

It was a typical day at church. The priest was giving his sermon while the parishioners listened intently. Eighteen-month-old Alice was fiddling with her mother’s necklace when all of a sudden, the necklace snapped.

“A bunch of the pearls went bouncing under the pews. It was kind of an embarrassing moment that became a little bit of a light bulb,” Amy Maurer Creel, Alice’s mother, said.

“I thought there’s got to be some way to wear some kind of jewelry that isn’t going to end up getting broken or ruined. I was certain that the idea must already exist.”

Creel, a Silver Spring resident, was surprised to find that there was no baby-safe jewelry on the market in 2002. That light bulb would spark the idea for Smart Mom Jewelry, a company that would sell the first and original line of baby teething jewelry called Teething Bling.

It was the sudden death of Creel’s sister-in-law in 2005 that really jumpstarted the idea into a product. Her death “was a really sad event that propelled me to finally get going,” said Creel, who had no prior experience in creating and running a business.

Teething Bling sells bangles and necklaces with “teethable” pendants of different shapes, colors and designs. Recently, the company expanded with new products for both tweens and men.

The Tween Bling line, helpful for those who like to twirl their hair or chew on their nails or pencils, includes necklaces with pendants that are scented peach, pineapple and berry. As for men, they can wear BABE MAGNET ties which have a squeaker and rattler hidden within for a special surprise for babies.

The products, recommended by pediatrician Dr. Sears of the TV show “The Doctors,” are FDA-approved and free of phthalate, BPA, PVC, latex and lead. All pendants, about 2-by-2 inches, come with a breakaway clasp cord. Creel emphasized that the teething jewelry are not meant as toys and should only be worn by adults.

Silver Spring resident Meredith Cabe purchased her first Teething Bling product – a jade-colored donut-shaped pendant – for her youngest child, Mae, about two years ago. Cabe said she loves that Teething Bling is both safe for babies and attractive for mothers.

“I think [Smart Mom Jewelry is] great,” Cabe said. “I love giving their products as gifts.”

Smart Mom Jewelry has more than 500 stores worldwide in countries such as Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The products, made in two factories in Shanghai and the United Kingdom, have even made their way into celebrities’ hands, such as actresses Tori Spelling and Constance Marie.

Although Teething Bling can be found in stores such as Buy Buy Baby in Rockville and Wiggle Room in Bethesda, Creel made her biggest break at Target, where her products will be sold in 500 stores this fall. “We haven’t really cracked any major retailers yet, so this is huge for us. I think it’s going to really signal bigger and better things,” Creel said.

The company has 10 staff members total, all of whom are mothers. Creel is president of the company since co-founder Kendra LaDuca left in January to pursue other endeavors.

Since its inception, Teething Bling has attracted some competition, including Chewbeads (New York), Sonny & Reed (Georgia) and GUMIGEM (Scotland). However, Creel isn’t concerned and actually finds the competition gratifying.
“It’s almost confirmation that we have a good idea because others have been trying to do something similar,” she said.

Teething Bling has also found a large following on Facebook with more than 14,500 fans. Creel is planning to hold a contest later this year where fans can submit ideas for a new product. The winner will have the product named after him or her.

“All across the board, I’m really trying to help women and specifically moms, to just be supportive [of each other],” Creel said.