The Thousands

Working as a doctor, the stethoscope around your neck earns you a certain amount of respect. Even as I accidentally wander into a family bereavement room looking for a urinary catheter or glue my fingers together with tissue glue, I can console myself with the knowledge that people are thinking "She’s busy. She’s important".

And yet, at the bank I wait 15 minutes before a teller calls me, and I’m the only customer in there!! Where is my stethoscope-o-respect then??

**Victorian jeweller Lisa Kearns has produced the perfect solution for such situations: the "Hello. Very Busy. Very Important" badge. The white on black typeface is a glorious pastiche of a Mormon’s nametag: doorknocking in one of these could be a good way to score some hash cookies if you’re lucky, or get a door slammed in your face if you’re not.

Her collection also includes the more whimsical, "Hello, I like to skim stones and take long walks in the park" and a fabulous kerchief fastener made from sunglasses frames. Well-priced respect.