Bracelets

Carol Andreson wants every woman to feel rich and beautiful. Her line of costume jewelry--called Rich & Beautiful--apparently helps them do just that because it has been enjoying brisk sales to men and women from all walks of life. "Fabulous fakes" is what she calls her line of cubic zirconia and simulated gems--rubies, emeralds and sapphires. The former actress is also a registered nurse who actually played a continuing role as a nurse on the old "Dr. Kildare" television series starring Richard Chamberlain.

Imagine holding a piece of history in your hand, a golden treasure culled from a Spanish galleon that was driven by a hurricane onto the deadly coral reefs off the Florida Keys in 1622. The Nuestra Senora de Atocha, laden with the heaviest consignment of royal and private treasures from the New World, was buried by the forces of nature and shrouded in secrecy by the sea for more than 3 1/2 centuries before being discovered by explorer Mel Fisher in 1985.

I had been trying for days to get a mental fix on Punta del Este, to figure out just which place it reminded me of. St. Bart's, I had thought at first, choosing the obvious connections of sun, sea and sand, and snippets from the press about which celebrity had been seen where and with whom. But that wasn't entirely it. Italy, was my wife Janice's guess, noting the lasciviously rich blackberry gelati we had eaten, the fact that Uruguayans say " ciao " as goodbye (though they spell it "chau")

Health and fitness products can make great holiday gifts. A thoughtfully chosen natural remedy or exercise device sends all of the right messages: I care about you, I want you to feel your best and I don't want to risk guessing wrong about your sweater size. But if you give a health product that doesn't live up to its claims, you end up sending a different message: I didn't do my homework, sorry for the disappointment and, hey, better luck next year. In an annual tradition, the Healthy Skeptic has gathered several items that could conceivably end up on a gift list.

Designer, retailer and Hollywood royalty Jennifer Nicholson (daughter of Jack), who once headlined Los Angeles Fashion Week and showed her collections in New York and Paris, is returning to fashion after a nearly five-year hiatus. Opening Friday, Pearl Drop is her new boutique on Lincoln Boulevard in the up-and-coming retail area of Venice known as the Linc. Inside, she's showcasing mostly California-based designers, plus pieces she's designed herself. The store: Pearl Drop, a play on Pearl, which was the name of Nicholson's store in Santa Monica that closed in 2005.

Senior citizens can order emergency identification bracelets, helpful in the case of accident or illness, from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Orange Senior Citizens Community Center. The Orange Junior Women's Club is coordinating a special program to make the stainless-steel bracelets available to all seniors for $3.25. The bracelets are designed to accommodate five lines of engraved lettering, which may identify the wearer or provide critical medical information.

Ruth Johnson installed deadbolt locks on the doors at home, but they weren't intended to keep intruders out. She was trying to keep her husband inside. Nelson Johnson's condition was diagnosed as Alzheimer's disease nearly 10 years ago. A dangerous symptom of the disorder is wandering. Patients leave home without knowing where they are going. They don't remember where they live or who they are, and are unable to ask for help. Some are found quickly. Others are never found.

Jeanne had worn the bracelet for. . . well, she isn't sure how long. At least 20 years. She wore it to bed, she wore it in the shower. "I don't take it off. I mean, I literally don't take it off." Not once in more than 20 years? "Once it got caught on something," she recalled, "and it's bendable, and it came off." Jeanne took the pledge seriously. It was a POW-MIA bracelet, a silver talisman of concern and hope from the Vietnam War.

When a valuable diamond-studded ankle bracelet showed up in an Oregon pawn shop, a curious detective investigated and helped solve an Orange County burglary. Eugene Police Det. Robert Holland had already grown suspicious as to why so much high-quality jewelry was appearing at a particular pawn shop. Then the 67-diamond bracelet showed up. "It stood out," said Holland, who decided to investigate the man selling the valuables to the shop.

Inspired by Boris Yeltsin's promise to return any missing American servicemen, Rep. Randy (Duke) Cunningham (R-San Diego) on Wednesday swiftly intercepted the Russian Federation president after his speech to Congress and offered him the POW/MIA bracelet he's worn for 22 years. "He's taking it back to Moscow," Cunningham said happily after the encounter on the House floor.