Originally shared to Instagram. See the reaction →
The wedding band problem
Every time I'd see family or friends, the first thing out of their mouths was, "Did you get married?" The Oura, even though it's a smart ring, looks enough like a wedding band that people assumed.
After hearing that for the tenth time, I started taking it off whenever I'd see people. The data was great. The look was a problem.
The covers that didn't work
So I went looking for a cover. The first thing I tried was a silicone one. It didn't fit right, slipped off when I worked out, and honestly just looked cheap.
I tried plastic ones too. Same story, but worse. None of them looked like jewelry. None of them felt like something I'd actually want to wear.
So I decided to design my own
I'm not a jeweler by trade. But I knew what I wanted, and I had some design background, so I started sketching. After a few iterations I had a render I was actually proud of: a sterling silver cover with a hand-finished, organic texture. It looked like real jewelry. It looked like something I'd wear.
The Reddit post
I posted it on r/ouraring just to see what people thought. Not because I had a business plan. I genuinely just wanted feedback on a piece I'd designed.
Within the first hour, the post had 40,000 views.
By the end of the day, it was over 100,000.
The comments weren't just "nice work." They were people asking where they could buy it. Hundreds of them. Total strangers telling me to take their money, to put them on a list, to email them the second it was available.
That's the moment I knew I had to build it.
Facebook confirmed it
The next day I cross-posted the design to a Facebook group for Oura Ring owners. Same response. Within 24 hours, more than 300 people had signed up for the founders list.
Two months later
I'm still here, working on Aurean almost around the clock. Designing the manufacturing process. Working with suppliers. Building the packaging. Writing the website. Setting up the email flows. Every little detail that this brand needs to exist, I've been chipping away at, one day at a time.
The reason I started this isn't because I had a brilliant business idea. It's because real people, the ones who own an Oura and feel the same friction I did, told me directly that they wanted this. The product was theirs before it was mine.
That's still how I think about it. The Cloak isn't something I'm selling to people. It's something I'm building for the community that asked for it.
If you're here
If you're reading this and you've been on the founders list since day one, thank you. You're the reason the brand exists.
If you're new here, welcome. Take a look at the Cloak. If it's something you'd want on your finger, you can shop the silver Cloak or the gold version. Or get notified when we drop next and I'll email you when the next drop is ready.
Either way, glad you're here.
— Jacob