Bracelet

Now that Lance Armstrong has been about as thoroughly disgraced as possible, one of the big questions confronting his onetime avid fans is: What should happen to those 80 million or so bright-yellow Livestrong wristbands? It's not as inconsequential a question as it first appears, as I was reminded over the weekend when a Facebook friend posted about his internal struggle over the silicone-gel bracelet that had been resting on the top of his bureau for several days. Though the bracelet was seen in its earliest days as a symbol of support for Armstrong the champion bicyclist and survivor of cancer, it took on greater meaning as more and more people who hadn't touched a bike since childhood bought their own -- and other charities followed the fashion trend with their own rubbery wrist decorations.

The gift shop of the recently opened ABBA museum in Stockholm is stocking an exclusive collection of jewelry inspired by the band and its music and designed by fellow Swede Efva Attling . According to Wednesday's press announcement, the eponymous designer has known members of the band since her nightclubbing days in '70s Stockholm, where she and ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad “often did some disco moves together. "  Attling continues: "Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agneta and I stayed in touch off and on over the years.

Few jewelry designers can say that they made their first sale in the bathroom of a Neiman Marcus, but for Danielle Yadegar, owner and designer of Bea Millen jewelry, that was exactly what happened. While wearing her own hand-crafted, rose- and yellow-gold bracelet, Yadegar, 26, was stopped by a fellow customer who asked whether she could buy the piece right then and there - and called later that day to buy a second piece. The episode gave Yadegar the final push to turn a casual idea into an ambitious business venture.

Most of us are collectors, whether we display our obsessions in the workplace or hide them in their original boxes at home. We devote hours to researching and buying wine and designer bags, comic books and antique buttons, action figures and shoes. Neil Zevnik is a slave to costume jewelry. Zevnik has been an actor, a personal chef (his client list has included Liz Taylor and Pierce Brosnan) and a marine mammal rescuer, but it's his 21-year-old hobby that has turned into an obsession.

Most of us are collectors, whether we display our obsessions in the workplace or hide them in their original boxes at home. We devote hours to researching and buying wine and designer bags, comic books and antique buttons, action figures and shoes. Neil Zevnik is a slave to costume jewelry. Zevnik has been an actor, a personal chef (his client list has included Liz Taylor and Pierce Brosnan) and a marine mammal rescuer, but it's his 21-year-old hobby that has turned into an obsession.

If we are to take our cues from GQ magazine, men are no longer rushing for gold — no diamonds, no elaborate chains or any other flashy jewelry. May cover model Jake Gyllenhaal's sole hint of bling is an understated $15 silver tie bar. Looking inside the issue's 162 pages, we find exactly four editorial subjects wearing jewelry beyond wedding rings or watches: a thin chain link bracelet on Lou Dobbs, a David Yurman dog tag and wooden beads on San Francisco Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum, studs on L.A. Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp and a class ring on Drums guitarist Jacob Graham.

The gift shop of the recently opened ABBA museum in Stockholm is stocking an exclusive collection of jewelry inspired by the band and its music and designed by fellow Swede Efva Attling . According to Wednesday's press announcement, the eponymous designer has known members of the band since her nightclubbing days in '70s Stockholm, where she and ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad “often did some disco moves together. "  Attling continues: "Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agneta and I stayed in touch off and on over the years.

Images of hippie-era love beads and Native American-inspired headbands can condemn beading in jewelry and accessories to appearing quaint at best. But the artisan level of contemporary beaders crafting today's fashion jewelry and accessories puts that image to rest. Their work has a decidedly modern, vibrant twist that makes it uniquely their own. For starters, the beads themselves are often a global affair. A bracelet might sport rare German vintage glass beads from the 1920s and '30s, antique African trading or vintage Japanese metal beads.

Bracelet price: In Sunday's Image section, a caption in a photo layout on jewelry of the season gave the price of a blue Ann Taylor bracelet as $10. It is $50.

If you've been wishing upon a star--to no avail--then maybe you should wish upon a bracelet instead. Wish bracelets, colorful little hand-woven cotton bracelets made in Guatemala and Mexico, are turning up on the wrists of the truly trendy. How does a bracelet grant you a wish, you ask. Simple: Place the bracelet on your wrist, and, just before tying the bracelet's knot, make a wish. Wear the bracelet constantly until, finally, frayed and worn, it falls off of its own accord.

Few jewelry designers can say that they made their first sale in the bathroom of a Neiman Marcus, but for Danielle Yadegar, owner and designer of Bea Millen jewelry, that was exactly what happened. While wearing her own hand-crafted, rose- and yellow-gold bracelet, Yadegar, 26, was stopped by a fellow customer who asked whether she could buy the piece right then and there - and called later that day to buy a second piece. The episode gave Yadegar the final push to turn a casual idea into an ambitious business venture.

Utah authorities think they have a valuable new use for the ubiquitous ankle bracelet: to locate missing patients with Alzheimer's or dementia.  Officials in Davis County, about half an hour north of Salt Lake City, say the device, which typically monitors criminals on house arrest or parole, could be a cost-effective solution to a common problem. “We think it's just a different application for an existing technology,” Deputy Sheriff Kevin Fielding told the Los Angeles Times.

The mix of casual and glam is what has made Paris-based jewelry designer Aurélie Bidermann a fashion world favorite. She's made modern-day heirlooms out of one-of-a-kind pieces of vintage cotton lace, dipping them into 18-karat gold, and molding them into cuffs with a weathered patina. And she's elevated the humble friendship bracelet to must-have status, using gold hardware to anchor the braided threads and give the pieces strength and permanence. "The idea is to make pieces not too delicate, but strong and easy to wear from day to night," says the designer, who has a background in art, and launched her line nearly 10 years ago. Past collections have been influenced by pre-Columbian art, Brazilian handicrafts, Santa Fe style and the architecture of Miami Beach.

A congressman from Massachusetts raised questions Thursday about how the Walt Disney Co. will use information it collects when if offers parkgoers new wristbands embedded with computer chips. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), co-chairman of a congressional panel on privacy, wrote to Walt Disney Co. Chairman Robert Iger, asking what information the park will collect with the so-called MagicBand and how it will be used. “Widespread use of MagicBand bracelets by park guests could dramatically increase the personal data Disney can collect about its guests,” he said, adding that he is particularly concerned at the prospect of Disney collecting information about children.

For 5,000 years or more, bangle bracelets have encircled female arms. They've been found in Vedic Hindu tradition, on Egyptian deities and in Mayan cultures. Once made primarily of metals and semi-precious stones, bangle bracelets are now fashioned from all kinds of materials, including wool, wood, silk, horn, silicone rubber, hemp, aluminum and even fossilized woolly mammoth tusks. Here's a handful of beautiful bangles from some of today's bracelet designers: Cuyo by Tamika Rivera Brooklyn artist Tamika Rivera makes and sews each of her one-of-a-kind bangles from fabrics, colorful yarns and threads.

Now that Lance Armstrong has been about as thoroughly disgraced as possible, one of the big questions confronting his onetime avid fans is: What should happen to those 80 million or so bright-yellow Livestrong wristbands? It's not as inconsequential a question as it first appears, as I was reminded over the weekend when a Facebook friend posted about his internal struggle over the silicone-gel bracelet that had been resting on the top of his bureau for several days. Though the bracelet was seen in its earliest days as a symbol of support for Armstrong the champion bicyclist and survivor of cancer, it took on greater meaning as more and more people who hadn't touched a bike since childhood bought their own -- and other charities followed the fashion trend with their own rubbery wrist decorations.

While reading today's "A Reminder of Vietnam . . .," I was reminded of "my guy," Capt. John Powell. I went to Palm Springs a lot during the '60s. One evening, while partying at a night spot there, I sat with two of my girlfriends next to a table full of "jarheads." They eventually gathered the courage to ask us to dance. We danced and laughed for two days straight. Their last weekend before 'Nam. No sex. Just girls and guys, laughing before they cried. During one slow dance with one of these guys, he asked me the name on my bracelet.

The pitch: I am pain-free! The scam: The Q-Ray Ionized Bracelet looks like a simple metal wristband, but it can "enhance the flow of bio-energy" to cure back pain, sinus problems, tendinitis, joint dysfunctions, sciatic pain and headaches. That's what the manufacturer, who charged as much as $250 for the bracelet, claimed in advertisements. But the Federal Trade Commission made a claim of its own -- that the supposed powers of the Q-Ray bracelet were bunk. -- The court decision: The U.S. Court of Appeals in Northern Illinois affirmed a previous ruling that the supposed benefits of the Q-Ray were false.

Images of hippie-era love beads and Native American-inspired headbands can condemn beading in jewelry and accessories to appearing quaint at best. But the artisan level of contemporary beaders crafting today's fashion jewelry and accessories puts that image to rest. Their work has a decidedly modern, vibrant twist that makes it uniquely their own. For starters, the beads themselves are often a global affair. A bracelet might sport rare German vintage glass beads from the 1920s and '30s, antique African trading or vintage Japanese metal beads.

Officials on Wednesday removed Lindsay Lohan's ankle bracelet and electronic monitoring system, formally releasing the actress from her much-chronicled 35-day house arrest. Steve Whitmore, an L.A. County Sheriff's Department spokesman, said a technician for the monitoring company went to the actress' Venice home about 9:40 a.m. and removed the bracelet by 10:30 a.m. "She is now under the supervision of probation," Whitmore said. "It took about 15 minutes to remove the equipment from her and her home.