Bracelets

The butterfly in the window of Eduardo Carneiro and Co. at 225 Rua das Flores is prominently displayed. The sun glints off its delicate wings, reflected not by satiny iridescent color, but by gold. The butterfly's intricate wing pattern is not the creation of nature but of a Portuguese artisan's skill at winding, twisting, curling and braiding fine golden wires into symmetrical wings.

Re "Suspects Chafing in Ankle Monitors," June 21: Requiring undocumented worker Juan Chavez to wear an ankle bracelet and undergo electronic surveillance for 10 weeks because he "got job after job in Northern California without the required work permits" epitomizes the hypocrisy of how our immigration laws are crafted and prosecuted. If Chavez belongs in ankle bracelets, so does the guy who hired him; so do I, and more than likely, so do you, dear citizen reader. Let those who have never hired an undocumented gardener, baby-sitter, farmworker or handyman cast the first stone.

Many thanks to Bob Sipchen for his article on those of us who still wear our MIA bracelets ("A Reminder of Vietnam . . .," Feb. 13). It was very encouraging to learn that I was not the only one still wearing mine. Mine says "PFC TIMOTHY OWEN, 6/29/68." I have worn this bracelet for him since August, 1968. It never fails to cause wistful comment wherever I go. And to all those who ask why I still wear it, I patiently explain that he is one of those 2,500 still listed as missing, and that I will wear it for him until they find him. Period.

Move over, diamonds. Vintage costume jewels are quickly becoming the baubles to beat. Neil Zevnik started collecting more than a decade ago and now has thousands of vintage chokers, glittering rhinestone rings and oversized clip-on earrings. So many, in fact, that he's selling some. "It's an obsessive hobby," says Zevnik, a private chef for the likes of Pierce Brosnan and Liz Taylor. His home is a bejeweled museum with cases of triple strand pearls from the late 1940s and massive turquoise and silver bracelets circa 1960 filling each room.

Collene Campbell arrived in court Thursday wearing the St. Christopher medal her brother, slain racing legend Mickey Thompson, wore during his races. It lay over a diamond necklace her mother gave her on her deathbed 11 years ago, asking Campbell not to take it off until her brother's killer was brought to justice. On Thursday, after nearly 19 years, 74-year-old Campbell was released from those mystic bonds.

Silvia Spross took a baby step into small-business ownership when she opened a jewelry kiosk on Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. It took just $11,000 to set up Lapzos Beads, including $3,500 for the first month's rent. So far the Swiss immigrant has hit her goal to average at least $200 a day in sales of the necklaces, rings and bracelets she makes from rough-cut semiprecious stones, polished rocks and beads from around the world. "I would love to own a little store but figured this would be a great start, just to see if it works," said Spross, whose lease runs just through January.

Fighting mediocre sales and a sluggish economy, retailers are finding there's a booming market for plus-size clothing. While the category has been getting notice for years, clothing companies desperate for sales see zooming growth in dressing America's expanding waistline. Many are opening specialty stores, expanding plus-size departments and targeting ads directly to the curvy woman. Cheap chic clothier H&M began rolling out plus-size sections in stores this February. The Limited will open stores by next year for a new larger-sized line, and Lucky Brand just launched a line of roomy denim and tops.

There may be no better time to escape the city for a sun-drenched jaunt to the desert than spring. Flowers are blooming, temperatures are moderate, and music and art beckon with two major festivals — the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival April 15 to 17 and the Stagecoach country music fest April 30 and May 1. This is all on top of the year-round lure of golf, tennis, pools and spas. And for the serious shopper? There's a small but mighty fashion scene to be found in Palm Springs and its southeastern neighbor Palm Desert that includes the same sartorial trappings available in the city (Gucci, Trina Turk, Sephora)

Designer, retailer and Hollywood royalty Jennifer Nicholson, who once headlined Los Angeles Fashion Week and showed her collections in New York, has returned to fashion after a nearly five-year hiatus. Her new venture is Pearl Drop, a Venice boutique with a "boho goddess festival vibe," opened just in time to dress customers for this month's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, one of Nicholson's favorite springtime excursions. Located on Lincoln Boulevard in the up-and-coming retail area known as the Linc that's become an alternative to crowded Abbot Kinney, Pearl Drop showcases mostly California-based labels, plus pieces that Nicholson has designed herself under the Pearl Drop label.