Most runners know that sometimes you come up with the best ideas while jogging. When Greenwich resident Leslie Gregory was 40 years old, she had not yet finished her first marathon in 2022 when she had a winning idea during her training. She wanted a reward for all the miles, a medal she could wear every day. She created a conversation-starter bracelet, necklace, and earrings line called TWENTYSIXDIAMOND, the "Everyday Medal (TM)" for all marathon finishers.
"TWENTYSIXDIAMOND is a keepsake medal (as jewelry) that runners can wear on their wrist, neck and ears every day to remind themselves of their amazing accomplishments and goals," explained Gregory. "The realization of the sacrifice and determination of Marathoners across the world inspired me to create the first and most popular piece in the line, the classic marathon bracelet."
With exactly 26 naturally mined, ethically sourced VVS diamonds- one diamond for every mile of the epic marathon, the classic line is solid 14K yellow or white gold. It has now evolved to include triathalon, ironman, half marathon, 100 miler, city initials and more themes for both men and women. It has been wear-tested thousands of miles and even featured in Runners World magazine. The jewelry is worn by Olympic medalist Alexis Pappas, Monical Puig, a tennis star and triathlete, and Peloton star Becs Gentry.
Fans follow the line on instagram @TWENTYSIXDIAMOND, and it's sold at Threads & Threads CT and online at twentysixdiamond.com.
Gregory says, "a finish is a win," so if you are training for the 26.2 mile NYC marathon in November, you'll deserve your own diamond keepsake as a "karat" to get you past the finish line. You might even come up with your own winning idea while training!