Medical IDs are no longer plain dog tags or stainless steel wrist bands (though you can still buy those too if you wish!) Leather sports bands, crystal beaded bracelets, and gold and silver charms are just a few of the options that jewelry makers are offering.
We received so many nominations for different pieces of jewelry that we decided to group them by company. Each company makes a wide range of medical ID bracelets, necklaces, and tags, and each type has its fans. These five companies received the most nominations by About.com readers. Vote for your favorite!
MedicAlert
MedicAlert combines stylish, practical jewelry with a call service. Emergency medical personnel can gain access to a medical history that you create by calling a hotline number listed on your medical ID. MedicAlert is the only company that provides this subscription service.
N-Style I.D. Medical Jewelry
N-Style I.D. offers everything from ultralight children's sports bands to "barbed wire" goth leather bands to gold charms with embedded crystals.
Lauren's Hope
Lauren's Hope offers wrap bracelets, fun interchangeable jelly bands, and kid-friendly backpack tags for kids who just won't wear jewelry. Lauren's Hope also offers a line of handcrafted "studio" jewelry.
AllerMates
Allermates offers a line of colorful, silicone wrist bands for kids that makes wearing a medical ID fun for young children.
Oneida Nameplate Co. Inc.
Oneida Medical Jewelry offers everything from classic stainless wrist bands to beaded jewelry and kid's shoe tags, with free engraving on all pieces.
Voting is open from February 22, 2012 - March 21, 2012. Winners will be announced March 30. You can vote once per day in each category. For more information about the About.com Reader's Choice Awards, visit awards.about.com
Ordered Red Stainless Bangle bracelet for our grandaughter, she has a tiny wrist and the small size is very effective for her needs.
Her last name has changed so will be ordering another one today, also the delivery was extremely fast. Nice to know that this product comes from our local area and don’t have to order from China, thank you N-Style. Charlotte Gettig
I wear my Medic Alert bracelet every moment of every day and every night.
I would never consider another line of ID bracelets. Medic Alert’s toll-free number is so important, “Medic Alert speaks when you cannot.” They have my specific medical information for a first responder to use when treating me. It’s not just a generic bracelet.
And, I like the fact that my bracelet is easy to identify. I don’t want anybody to miss it.
I bought numerous jelly band medial bracelets from this company and they kept breaking!! I tried to get a hold of the company and nobody would respond to me! Not going to get my vote! The bracelets are cheap and your company is lacking in customer service!
I have been a MedicAlert member since I was 7. I am now 22, and still wear my MedicAlert bracelet–it is lifesaving. Twice I had a medical emergency, and both times, my bracelet and the MedicAlert emergency response service saved my life; they even called my Mom to let her know, and she was there for me –I cannot thank them enough–my parents cannot thank them enough.
I insisted on my wife getting a MedicAlert bracelet when we married, as she is allergic to penicillin. I chose to get one for asthma, though now the number of medical conditions has increased quite a bit for me.
What I find important about MedicAlert is the service behind the bracelet. My bracelet can’t tell everything about me, including medicinal allergies and other conditions. It does tell a medical worker how to get all the information they need.
I admit, the standard bracelet tended to lose its red paint for some reason, but the one I have now — a gold & silver colored emblem — has been a trooper. I have the standard style bracelet that never gets lost, never comes off … it’s that important!
The emergency call service with Medic Alert is critical. Far more information is instantly available to first responders than could ever be engraved on a bracelet. You never need to worry about your phone number changing or even you missing the call. Medic Alert can provide complete medical information, doctor contacts, etc. Can’t see going with anything that doesn’t offer this service.
Laurens Hope bracelets are stylish, durable, and comfortable. Unlike other medical id bracelets that I’ve bought, I wear my Laurens Hope bracelet at sleep, bathing, work, and play day after day.
I try the Medical Alert bracelets. I like the Lauren Hope the best I like their style, their Medical ID tags comes in different colours. I like wearing beautiful bracklets and I do not feel like I am wearing a just medical alert ID like I did with Medical Alert bracelets. I feel more dressy wearing Laurens Hope bracelets with their colourful medical ID tags. Laurens Hope bracelets are long lasting and very comfortable.
My two cat and one kitten all wear Laurens Hope Pet Medical Alert tags.
Thank you to Laurens Hope for having the Pet Medical Alert tags. The ID tags help to save pets too. The ID tags for pets come in different colours
too.
I’ve looked at all the sites. The bracelets are nice. But what kind of service do they offer? When our daughter began having seizures 6 years ago, we decided on MedicAlert because of their service. A fancy beaded bracelet with virtually no information is nigh unto worthless. MedicAlert is our first and only choice, because of their 24/7 customer service and stored medical records. Now that I have life-threatening food allergies, I will be wearing a MedicAlert bracelet. And with my husband’s diagnosis of diabetes, he will only wear a MedicAlert bracelet. MedicAlert is the ONLY way to go.
Oneida Nameplate Co. has great, fast service. When you buy a bracelet from them you are getting quality products, and its not the junk you get from china! I ordered my bracelet one day and I had already received it within a couple of days. The staff is very friendly there. I think they are a pretty small business but they deserve to win this survey. Check out their website, it has tons of awesome products, it was hard to decide which one to get!
I choose Layren’s Hope when I had to start wearing medical ID. I wanted a way to change the style to go with my outfits, with their lobster claw catch it allows me to do that with only one tag.
When I had to start wearing a medical id bracelet I chose Lauren’s Hope because I wanted something that did not look like the normal ugly bracelet. They have the most bracelets to choose from and you can change your bracelet easy with the “lobster clasp” they have on each braclelet. So you only have to purchase one id but you can buy as many bracelets as you want. Now they have new ids so you can change up your bracelet with a new id. That is just so neat. You can make a older bracelet look new with that new id. I have had nothing but great work and fast deleivery from Lauren’s Hope and people always want to know where I found that bracelet from. I just love all of mine that I have and I have 10 now and trying to deceied what one I am getting next! You can not go wrong with them.
I have been a medical alert member for over 10 years, but their bracelets are not very fashionable and expensive. I took the metal plate off my medical alert bracelet and I buy bracelets from Lauren’s Hope. I have at least 5, one broke after my teething puppy pulled on it, I sent the bracelet and beads back to them and they repaired it. I’ve never had a bad experience with them and they are always having sales.
LAURENS HOPE HAS MANY OPTIONS FOR WEARING A PIECE OF MEDICAL IDENTIFICATION IN AN IMAGINATIVE AND REASONABLY PRICED WAY! i GET SO MY COMPLIMENTS ON MY BRACELET!
Lauren’s Hope has the best bracelets by far. They are always beautiful, durable and come in lickity split. I only have 1 ID tag but because they are interchangeable I can alter the bracelet strand to match any outfit I am wearing. I had to send one in for repair after I got it caught on the car door and they repaired it for free. They always have sales going on too. Noneo fthese other companies compare to laurens hope!!
MedicAlert is more than just a bracelet. They are the ONLY medical identification company that backs up their products with a 24-hr emergency response service. In addition to the information engraved on the bracelet or necklace, MedicAlert stores your list of conditions, medications, allergies and even someone to notify for you in case of emergency. They speak for you when you cannot!
Having to wear a medical id bracelet is now fun!! By keeping the same med tag, the bracelets can be changed to match your mood or your outfit.
Lauren’s Hope has something for every one, literally.