Bracelet

Re “The 'boobies' boo-boo,” Opinion, Aug. 21 Roger Weaver writes a clear and compelling piece explaining why the court made it more difficult for schools, but he misses the point entirely. The school, teachers and administrators missed a teaching opportunity when they sought suspension as the means of correction for the two middle school girls who wore the bracelets. Why didn't the school counsel these girls to make a more formal and more appropriate statement about the need for breast cancer research?

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to get involved in a Pennsylvania case over whether students can wear a bracelet saying “I (heart) Boobies!” as part of a breast cancer awareness campaign. By refusing to consider the case, the nation's top court left in place a lower appeals court decision striking down a ban on the bracelets imposed by Easton Area School District, which argued that the bracelets were lewd. “The First Amendment protects schools as a space where students are free to discuss important issues like breast cancer and talk about their bodies in positive terms,” stated Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, which represented the students.

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.

In 1969, in a case involving children who were disciplined for wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War, the Supreme Court ruled that students don't "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. "  Now the court is being asked to take a case that could be a vehicle for rolling back that decision, known as Tinker vs. Des Moines School District. The new case also involves apparel -- rubber bracelet s bearing the message "I ♥ boobies !

Country singer Kimberly Perry is engaged! The lead singer of the group the Band Perry is now betrothed to J.P. Arencibia, lead catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, after he proposed to her Monday night, according to the Tennessean. Arencibia popped the question with an emerald cut diamond engagement ring in the neighborhood of 3 carats, designed by a friend in Chicago. Perry wasn't sure about its exact size. PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities But it's the proposal that has everyone swooning.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Country singer Kimberly Perry is engaged! The lead singer of the group the Band Perry is now betrothed to J.P. Arencibia, lead catcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, after he proposed to her Monday night, according to the Tennessean. Arencibia popped the question with an emerald cut diamond engagement ring in the neighborhood of 3 carats, designed by a friend in Chicago. Perry wasn't sure about its exact size. PHOTOS: 50 most beautiful female celebrities But it's the proposal that has everyone swooning.

The Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity and Sleep Wristband is one of the latest entries in the growing field of wearable fitness tracking devices. The wristband, arriving on the heels of the Jawbone Up and the Nike Fuelband but priced lower at $99.95, is a cool little gadget that, like the others, motivates you to up your activity game. Unlike its predecessor, the Fitbit One, the Flex is a minimalist silicone bracelet that comes in small or large, black or slate, to be worn 24/7 so you're always on the hook.

Hermès reopens on Rodeo Drive this week with a new three-story boutique framed in a bright white marble grid facade and a limited-edition collection of items made just for the occasion, including a wine trunk, a basketball, swimming pool-inspired silk scarves and this alligator-and-diamond Collier de Chien cuff bracelet in turquoise blue. Founded in Paris in 1837 as a maker of leather horse harnesses, Hermès has evolved into a luxury brand known for silk scarves and ties, tabletop items, jewelry and watches, ready-to-wear clothing and, of course, status handbags.

Re “The 'boobies' boo-boo,” Opinion, Aug. 21 Roger Weaver writes a clear and compelling piece explaining why the court made it more difficult for schools, but he misses the point entirely. The school, teachers and administrators missed a teaching opportunity when they sought suspension as the means of correction for the two middle school girls who wore the bracelets. Why didn't the school counsel these girls to make a more formal and more appropriate statement about the need for breast cancer research?

A federal appeals court in Pennsylvania has awarded a victory to some middle-school girls who were disciplined for wearing rubber wristbands with the message “I [heart] boobies! (Keep a Breast).” The bracelets were a lighthearted attempt to raise awareness about breast cancer, but school officials weren't amused. “Boobie” wristbands now join black armbands as forms of symbolic speech by schoolchildren that are protected by the 1stAmendment. In the  landmark 1969 case of Tinker v. Des Moines School District, the Supreme Court upheld the right of  children to wear black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. That decision contains this  famous - and to school administrators notorious - statement: “It  can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” The court ruled that schools could suppress student expression on controversial issues  only if it “materially disrupts classwork or involves substantial disorder or invasion of the rights of others.” If the only case on the books were Tinker, lawyers for the Easton Area School District in Pennsylvania probably would have advised their clients not to fight the schoolgirls in court.

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.

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.

When Mary Pickford died in 1979 she bequeathed her large star sapphire, the Star of Bombay, to the Smithsonian if the museum would take it. I called the gem man there and asked him if he wanted to take possession. He came right out to Los Angeles, and upon seeing the gem said, "We want this sapphire. It is much brighter than our others--we will trade them off." He opened his pocket knife and pried the clasps loose, freeing the sapphire from the elaborate diamond necklace. He wrapped it in a soft cloth, put it in his coat pocket and returned to Washington.

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.

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.