Our Story

Before I started LUME, I often needed a few quiet minutes of meditation at bedtime before I felt ready to rest. Reading other people’s experiences online, I realized I wasn’t alone in wanting a gentler way to end the day. I started LUME to make that quiet moment easier to begin.

I was inspired by bead practices in Tibetan Buddhist and Indian traditions, where beads are moved one by one during prayer or mantra recitation. I wanted to create a bracelet for my own meditation practice—something I could hold, with a natural scent that suited a quiet moment before bed.

I tried bracelets made from about 100 different woods. Indian sandalwood stood out. To me, its aroma was noticeable when held close without feeling too strong. It had the balance I had been looking for.

My hope is that when someone like me wants to meditate or take a mindful pause before bed, they can reach for a LUME bracelet and begin with one bead and one breath.

Sources for the traditional prayer-bead practices mentioned above: Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art and McClung Museum of Natural History & Culture.